88 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


ROBERT  ERNEST  COWAN 


F6&0 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  SECOND  VOLUME. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

A  consultation  whether  to  proceed  by  land  or  water — preparations  for 
boat  building — an  exploring  party — a  party  of  trappers  detached — 
two  Snake  visitors — their  report  concerning  the  river — confirmed  by 
the  exploring  party — Mad  river  abandoned — arrival  at  Henry's  fort — 
detachment  of  Robinson,  Hoback,  and  Rezner  to  trap — Mr.  Miller 
resolves  to  accompany  them — their  departure.  .  .  .  .9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Scanty  fare — a  mendicant  Snake — embarcation  on  Henry  river — joy  of 
the  voyageurs — arrival  at  Snake  river — rapids  and  breakers — begin 
ning  of  misfortunes — Snake  encampments — parley  with  a  savage — 
a  second  disaster — loss  of  a  boatman — the  Caldron  Linn.  .  .  17 

CHAPTER  III. 

Gloomy  council — exploring  parties — discouraging  reports — disastrous 
experiment — detachments  in  quest  of  succor — caches,  how  made — 
return  of  one  of  the  detachments— unsuccessful — further  disappoint 
ments — the  Devil's  Scuttle  Hole. 25 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Determination  of  the  party  to  proceed  on  foot — dreary  deserts  between 
Snake  river  and  the  Columbia — distribution  of  effects  preparatory  to 
a  march — division  of  the  party — rugged  march  along  the  river — wild 
and  broken  scenery — Shoshonies — alarm  of  a  Snake  encampment — 
intercourse  with  the  Snakes — horse  dealing — value  of  a  tin  kettle — 
sufferings  from  thirst — a  horse  reclaimed — fortitude  of  an  Indian 
woman — scarcity  of  food — dog's  flesh  a  dainty — news  of  Mr.  Crooks 
and  his  party — painful  travelling  among  the  mountains — snow  storms 
— a  dreary  mountain  prospect — a  bivouack  during  a  wintry  night — 
return  to  the  river  bank.  .  .  32 


259491 


Jv  CONTENTS. 

PAG*. 

CHAPTER  V. 

An  unexpected  meeting — navigation  in  a  skin  canoe— strange  fears  of 
suffering  men — hardships  of  Mr.  Crooks  and  his  comrades — tidings 
of  M'Lellan — a  retrograde  march — a  willow  raft — extreme  suffering 
of  some  of  the  party — illness  of  Mr.  Crooks — impatience  of  some  of 
the  men — necessity  of  leaving  the  laggards  behind.  .  .  .44 

CHAPTER  VL 

Mr.  Hunt  overtakes  the  advanced  party — Pierre  Donon,  and  his  skele 
ton  horse — a  Shoshonie  camp — a  justifiable  outrage — feasting  on 
horse  flesh — Mr.  Crooks  brought  to  the  camp — undertakes  to  relieve 
his  men — the  skin  ferry  boat — frenzy  of  Prevost — his  melancholy 
fate — enfeebled  state  of  John  Day — Mr.  Crooks  again  left  behind — 
the  party  emerge  from  among  the  mountains — interview  with  Sho- 
shonics — a  guide  procured  to  conduct  the  party  across  a  mountain — 
ferriage  across  Snake  river — reunion  with  Mr.  Crooks's  men — final 
departure  from  the  river. 50 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Departure  from  Snake  river — mountains  to  the  north — wayworn  travel 
lers — an  increase  of  the  Dorion  family — a  camp  of  Shoshonies — a 
new-year  festival  among  the  Snakes — a  wintry  march  through  the 
mountains — a  sunny  prospect,  and  milder  climate — Indian  horse 
tracks — grassy  valleys — a  camp  of  Sciatogas — joy  of  the  travellers — 
dangers  of  abundance — habits  of  the  Sciatogas — fate  of  Carriere — 
the  umatalla — arrival  at  the  banks  of  the  Columbia — tidings  of  the 
scattered  members  of  the  expedition — scenery  on  the  Columbia — 
tidings  of  Astoria — arrival  at  the  falls 58 

CHAPTER  VHI. 

The  village  of  Wish-ram — roguery  of  the  inhabitants — their  habitations 
— tidings  of  Astoria — of  the  Tonquin  massacre — thieves  about  the 
camp — a  band  of  braggarts — embarcation — arrival  at  Astoria — a 
joyful  reception— old  comrades — adventures  of  Reed,  M'Lellan,  and 
M'Kenae,  among  the  Snake  river  mountains — rejoicing  at  Astoria.  70 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Scanty  fare  during  the  winter — a  poor  hunting  ground — the  return  of 
the  fishing  season — the  uthlecan  or  smelt — its  qualities — vast  shoals 
of  it — sturgeon — Indian  modes  of  taking  it — the  salmon — different 
species — nature  of  the  country  about  the  coast — forests  and  forest 
trees — a  remarkable  flowering  vine — animals— birds— reptiles — cli 
mate  west  of  the  mountains — mildness  of  the  temperature— soil  of 
the  coast  and  the  interior. .78 


CONTENTS.  V 

•  .-    . 

I  PAGE. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Natives  in  the  neighborhood  of  Astoria — their  persons  and  character 
istics — causes  of  deformity — their  dress — their  contempt  of  beards 
— ornaments — armor  and  weapons — mode  of  flattening  the  head — 
extent  of  the  custom — religious  belief — the  two  great  spirits  of  the  air 
and  of  the  fire — priests  or  medicine  men — the  rival  idols — polygamy 
a  cause  of  greatness — petty  warfare — music,  dancing,  gambling — 
thieving  a  virtue — keen  traders — intrusive  habits — abhorrence  of 
drunkenness — anecdote  of  Comcomly.  84 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Spring  arrangements  at,  Astoria — various  expeditions  set  out — the 
Long  Narrows — pilfering  Indians — thievish  tribe  at  Wish-ram — 
portage  at  the  falls — portage  by  moonlight — an  attack,  a  rout,  and 
a  robbery — Indian  cure  for  cowardice — a  parley  and  compromise — 
the  despatch  party  turn  back — meet  Crooks  and  John  Day — their 
sufferings — Indian  perfidy — arrival  at  Astoria.  ....  93 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Comprehensive  views — to  supply  the  Russian  fur  establishment — an 
agent  sent,  to  Russia — project  of  an  annual  ship — the  Beaver  fitted 
out — her  equipment  and  crew — instructions  to  the  captain — the 
Sandwich  islands — rumors  of  the  fate  of  the  Tonquin — precautions 
on  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  *..".•  •  •  •  105 
CHAPTER  XIII. 

Active  operations  at  Astoria — various  expeditions  fitted  out — Robert 
Stuart  and  a  party  destined  for  New  York — singular  conduct  of 
John  Day — his  fate — piratical  pass  and  hazardous  portage — rattle 
snakes — their  abhorrence  of  tobacco — arrival  among  the  Wallah- 
Wallahs — purchase  of  horses — departure  of  Stuart  and  his  band 
for  the  mountains. 110 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Route  of  Mr.  Stuart — dreary  wilds — thirsty  travelling — a  grove  and 
streamlet — the  Blue  mountains — a  fertile  plain  with  rivulets — sul 
phur  spring — route  along  Snake  river — rumors  of  white  men — the 
Snake  and  his  horse — a  Snake  guide — a  midnight  decampment — 
unexpected  meeting  with  old  comrades — story  of  trappers'  hard 
ships — Salmon  falls — a  great  fishery — mode  of  spearing  salmon — 
arrival  at  the  Caldron  Linn — state  of  the  caches — new  resolution 
of  the  three  Kentucky  trappers 119 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Snake  river  deserts — scanty  fare — bewildered  travellers — prowl 
ing  Indians — a  giant  Crow  chief— a  bully  rebuked — Indian  signals — 


Tl  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

smoke  on  the  mountains — Mad  river — an  alarm — an  Indian  foray — 

a  scamper — a  rude  Indian  joke — a  sharp-shooter  balked  of  his  shot    133 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Travellers  unhorsed — pedestrian  preparations — prying  spies — bonfire 
of  baggage — a  march  on  foot — railing  a  river — the  wounded  elk — 
Indian  trails — wilful  conduct  of  Mr.M'Lellan— grand  prospect  from 
a  mountain — distant  craters  of  volcanoes — illness  of  Mr.  Crooks.  .  142 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Ben  Jones  and  a  grizzly  bear — rocky  heights — mountain  torrents — 
traces  of  M'Lellan — volcanic  remains — mineral  earths — peculiar  clay 
for  pottery— dismal  plight  of  M'Lellan — starvation — shocking  prop 
osition  of  a  desperate  man — a  broken  down  bull — a  ravenous  meal 
— Indian  graves — hospitable  Snakes — a  forlorn  alliance.  .  .151 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Spanish  river  scenery — trail  of  Crow  Indians — a  snow  storm — a  rous 
ing  fire  and  a  buffalo  feast — a  plain  of  salt — climbing  a  mountain — 
volcanic  summit — extinguished  crater — marine  shells — encampment 
on  a  prairie — successful  hunting — good  cheer — romantic  scenery — 
rocky  defile — foaming  rapids — the  fiery  narrows 161 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Wintry  storms — a  halt  and  council — cantonment  for  the  winter — fine 
hunting  country — game  of  the  mountains  and  plains — successful 
hunting — Mr.  Crooks  and  a  grizzly  bear — the  wigwam — bighorn 
and  biacktails — beef  and  venison — good  quarters  and  good  cheer 
— an  alarm — an  intrusion — unwelcome  guests — desolation  of  the 
larder — gormandizing  exploits  of  hungry  savages — good  quarters 
abandoned. 168 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Rough  wintry  travelling — hills  and  plains — snow  and  ice — disappear 
ance  of  game— a  vast  dreary  plain — a  second  halt  for  the  winter — 
another  wigwam — new-year's  feast — buffalo  humps,  tongues,  and 
marrow  bones — return  of  spring — launch  of  canoes — bad  naviga 
tion — pedestrian  march — vast  prairies — deserted  camps — Pawnee 
squaws — an  Otto  Indian — news  of  war — voyage  down  the  Platte 
and  the  Missouri — reception  at  Fort  Osage — arrival  at  St.  Louis.  .  177 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Agreement  between  Mr.  Astor  and  the  Russian  Fur  Company — war 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain— instructions  to  Cap 
tain  Sowle  of  the  Beaver— fitting  out  of  the  Lark— news  of  the 
arrival  of  Mr.  Stuart. ,185 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Banks  of  the  Wallah- Wallah — departure  of  David  Stuart  for  the 
Oakinagan — Mr.  Clarke's  route  up  Lewis  river— Chipunnish,  or 
Pierced-nose  Indians — their  character,  appearance,  and  habits — 
thievish  habits — laying  up  of  the  boats — post  at  Pointed  Heart  and 
Spokan  rivers — M'Kenzie,  his  route  up  the  Camoenum — bands  of 
travelling  Indians — expedition  of  Reed  to  the  caches — adventures 
of  wandering  voyageurs  and  trappers.  •  .' .  .  .  .  .  1 90 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Departure  of  Mr.  Hunt  in  the  Beaver — precautions  at  the  factory 
— detachment  to  the  Wollamut — gloomy  apprehensions — arrival 
of  M'Kenzie — affairs  at  the  Shahaptan — news  of  war — dismay 
of  M'Dougal — determination  to  abandon  Astoria — departure  of 
M'Kenzie  for  the  interior — adventure  at  the  rapids — visit  to  the 
ruffians  of  Wish-ram — a  perilous  situation — meeting  with  M'Tavish 
and  his  party — arrival  at  the  Shahaptan — plundered  caches — de 
termination  of  the  wintering  partners  not  to  leave  the  country — 
arrival  of  Clarke  among  the  Nez  Percys — the  affair  of  the  silver 
goblet — hanging  of  an  Indian — arrival  of  the  wintering  partners  at 
Astoria 198 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  partners  displeased  with  M'Dougal — equivocal  conduct  of  that 
gentleman — partners  agree  to  abandon  Astoria — sale  of  goods  to 
M'Tavish — arrangements  for  the  year — manifesto  signed  by  the 
partners — departure  of  M'Tavish  for  the  interior.  .  .  .211 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Anxieties  of  Mr.  Astor — memorial  of  the  North-west  Company — 
tidings  of  a  British  naval  expedition  against  Astoria — Mr.  Astor 
applies  to  government  for  protection — the  frigate  Adams  ordered 
to  be  fitted  out — bright  news  from  Astoria — sunshine  suddenly 
overclouded.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .216 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Affairs  of  state  at  Astoria — M'Dougal  proposes  for  the  hand  of  an 
Indian  princess — matrimonial  embassy  to  Comcomly — matrimonial 
notions  among  the  Chinooks — settlements  and  pin  money — the 
bringing  home  of  the  bride — a  managing  father-in-law — arrival  of 
Mr.  Hunt  at  Astoria 219 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Voyage  of  the  Beaver  to  New  Archangel — a  Russian  governor — roys- 
tering  rule — the  tyranny  of  the  table — hard  drinking  bargains — 


VU1  CONTENTS. 

PAQK. 

voyage  to  Kamschatka — seal-catching  establishment  at  St  Paul's — 
storms  at  sea — Mr.  Hunt  left  at  the  Sandwich  islands — transactions 
of  the  Beaver  at  Canton — return  of  Mr.  Hunt  to  Astoria.  .  .223 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Arrangements  among  the  partners — Mr.  Hunt  sails  in  the  Albatross 
— arrives  at  the  Marquesas — news  of  the  frigate  Phoebe — Mr.  Hunt 
proceeds  to  the  Sandwich  islands — voyage  of  the  Lark — her  ship 
wreck — transactions  with  the  natives  of  the  Sandwich  islands — 
conduct  of  Tamaahmaah. 232 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Arrival  of  M'Tavish  at  Astoria — conduct  of  his  followers — negotia 
tions  of  M'Dougal  and  M'Tavish — bargain  for  the  transfer  of  As 
toria — doubts  entertained  of  the  loyalty  of  M'Dougal.  .  .  .  240 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Arrival  of  a  strange  sail — agitation  at  Astoria — warlike  offer  of  Com- 
comly — Astoria  taken  possession  of  by  the  British — indignation  of 
Comcomly  at  the  conduct  of  his  son-in-law.  ', •':?  '„ '..  .  .  246 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Arrival  of  the  brig  Pedlar  at  Astoria — breaking  up  of  the  establish 
ment — departure  of  several  of  the  company — tragical  story  told  by 
the  squaw  of  Pierre  Dorion — fate  of  Reed  and  his  companions — 
attempts  of  Mr.  Astor  to  renew  his  enterprise — disappointment — 
concluding  observations  and  reflections. 252 

APPENDIX. 
Draught  of  a  petition  to  Congress,  sent  by  Mr.  Astor  in  1812.     .        .    265 

Letter  from  Mr.  Gallatin  to  Mr.  Astor. 267 

Notices  of  the  present  state  of  the  Fur  Trade,  chiefly  extracted  from 

an  article  published  in  Silliman's  Journal  for  January,  1834.  .    269 

Height  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. .     274 

Suggestions  with  respect  to  the  Indian  tribes,  and  the  protection  of  our 

Trade.  ^      f .275 


ASTORIA. 


CHAPTER    I. 

A  CONSULTATION  WHETHER  TO  PROCEED  BY  LAND  OR  WATER PREPARA 
TIONS  FOR  BOAT  BUILDING AN  EXPLORING  PARTY A  PARTY  OF  TRAP 
PERS  DETACHED TWO  SNAKE  VISITORS THEIR  REPORT  CONCERNING  THE 

RIVER CONFIRMED    BY  THE  EXPLORING    PARTY MAD    RIVER    ABANDONED 

ARRIVAL   AT    HENRY'S   FORT DETACHMENT   OF   ROBINSON,   HoBACK 

AND  REZNER  TO  TRAP — MR.  MILLER  RESOLVES  TO  ACCOMPANY  THEM — 
THEIR  DEPARTURE. 

ON  the  banks  of  Mad  river  Mr.  Hunt  held  a  consultation  with 
the  other  partners  as  to  their  future  movements.  The  wild 
and  impetuous  current  of  the  river  rendered  him  doubtful 
whether  it  might  not  abound  with  impediments  lower  down, 
sufficient  to  render  the  navigation  of  it  slow  and  perilous,  if 
not  impracticable.  The  hunters  who  had  acted  as  guides, 
knew  nothing  of  the  character  of  the  river  below  ;  what  rocks, 
and  shoals,  and  rapids  might  obstruct  it,  or  through  what 
mountains  and  deserts  it  might  pass.  Should  they  then 
abandon  their  horses,  cast  themselves  loose  in  fragile  barks 
upon  this  wild,  doubtful,  and  unknown  river ;  or  should  they 
continue  their  more  toilsome  and  tedious,  but  perhaps  more 
certain  wayfaring  by  land  ? 

The  vote,  as  might  have  been  expected,  was  almost  unani 
mous  for  embarcation  ;  for  when  men  are  in  difficulties  every 


10  PREPARATIONS    FOR   BOAT   BUILDING. 

change  seems  to  be  for  the  better.  The  difficulty  now  was 
to  find  timber  of  sufficient  size  for  the  construction  of  canoes, 
the  trees  in  these  high  mountain  regions  being  chiefly  a 
scrubbed  growth  of  pines  and  cedars,  aspens,  haws  and  service 
berries,  and  a  small  kind  of  cotton  tree  with  a  leaf  resembling 
that  of  the  willow.  There  was  a  species  of  large  fir,  but  so 
full  of  knots  as  to  endanger  the  axe  in  hewing  it.  After 
searching  for  some  time,  a  growth  of  timber,  of  sufficient 
size,  was  found  lower  down  the  river,  whereupon  the  encamp 
ment  was  moved  to  the  vicinity. 

The  men  were  now  set  to  work  to  fell  trees,  and  the 
mountains  echoed  to  the  unwonted  sound  of  their  axes.  While 
preparations  were  thus  going  on  for  a  voyage  down  the  river, 
Mr.  Hunt,  who  still  entertained  doubts  of  its  practicability, 
despatched  an  exploring  party,  consisting  of  John  Reed,  the 
:lerk,  John  Day  the  hunter,  and  Pierre  Dorion  the  interpreter, 
with  orders  to  proceed  several  days  march  along  the  stream, 
and  notice  its  course  and  character. 

After  their  departure,  Mr.  Hunt  turned  his  thoughts  to 
another  object  of  importance.  He  had  now  arrived  at  the 
head  waters  of  the  Columbia,  which  were  among  the  main 
points  embraced  by  the  enterprize  of  Mr.  Astor.  These  upper 
streams  were  reputed  to  abound  in  beaver,  and  had  as  yet 
been  unmolested  by  the  white  trapper.  The  numerous  signs 
of  beaver  met  with  during  the  recent  search  for  timber,  gave 
evidence  that  the  neighborhood  was  a  good  "  trapping  ground." 
Here  then  it  was  proper  to  begin  to  cast  loose  those  leashes 
of  hardy  trappers,  that  are  detached  from  trading  parties,  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  wilderness.  The  men  detached  in  the 
present  instance  were  Alexander  Carson,  Louis  St.  Michel, 
Pierre  Detaye,  and  Pierre  Delaunay.  Trappers  generally  go 
in  pairs,  that  they  may  assist,  protect  and  comfort  each  other 


TRAPPERS    DETACHED.  11 

in  their  lonely  and  perilous  occupations.  Thus  Carson  and 
St.  Michel  formed  one  couple,  and  Detaye  and  Delaunay 
another.  They  were  fitted  out  with  traps,  arms,  ammunition, 
horses  and  every  other  requisite,  and  were  to  trap  upon  the 
upper  part  of  Mad  river,  and  upon  the  neighboring  streams 
of  the  mountains.  This  would  probably  occupy  them  for 
some  months ;  and,  when  they  should  have  collected  a  suf 
ficient  quantity  of  peltries,  they  were  to  pack  them  upon  their 
horses  and  make  the  best  of  their  way  to  the  mouth  of  Co 
lumbia  river,  or  to  any  intermediate  post '  which  might  be 
established  by  the  company.  They  took  leave  of  their  com 
rades  and  started  off  on  their  several  courses  with  stout  hearts, 
and  cheerful  countenances  ;  though  these  lonely  cruisings  into- 
a  wild  and  hostile  wilderness  seem  to  the  uninitiated  equiva 
lent  to  being  cast  adrift  in  the  ship's  yawl  in  the  midst  of  the 
ocean. 

Of  the  perils  that  attend  the  lonely  trapper,  the  reader 
will  have  sufficient  proof,  when  he  comes,  in  the  after  part 
of  this  work,  to  learn  the  hard  fortunes  of  these  poor  fellows 
in  the  course  of  their  wild  peregrinations. 

The  trappers  had  not  long  departed,  when  two  Snake 
Indians  wandered  into  the  camp.  When  they  perceived  that 
the  strangers  were  fabricating  canoes,  they  shook  their  heads 
and  gave  them  to  understand  that  the  river  was  not  navigable. 
Their  information,  however,  was  scoffed  at  by  some  of  the 
party,  who  were  obstinately  bent  on  embarcation,  but  was 
confirmed  by  the  exploring  party  who  returned  after  several 
days  absence.  They  had  kept  along  the  river  with  great  dif 
ficulty  for  two  days,  and  found  it  a  narrow,  crooked,  turbulent 
stream,  confined  in  a  rocky  channel,  with  many  rapids,  and 
occasionally  overhung  with  precipices.  From  the  summit 
of  one  of  these  they  had  caught  a  bird's  eye  view  of  its 


12  MAD   RIVER   ABANDONED. 

boisterous  career,  for  a  great  distance,  through  the  heart  of 
the  mountain,  with  impending  rocks  and  cliffs.  Satisfied, 
from  this  view,  that  it  was  useless  to  follow  its  course  either 
by  land  or  water,  they  had  given  up  all  further  investigation. 

These  concurring  reports  determined  Mr.  Hunt  to  abandon 
Mad  river,  and  seek  some  more  navigable  stream.  This 
determination  was  concurred  in  by  all  his  associates  excepting 
Mr.  Miller,  who  had  become  impatient  of  the  fatigue  of  land 
travel,  and  was  for  immediate  embarcation  at  all  hazards. 
This  gentleman  had  been  in  a  gloomy  and  irritated  state  of 
mind  for  some  time  past,  being  troubled  with  a  bodily  malady 
that  rendered  travelling  on  horseback  extremely  irksome  to 
him,  and  being,  moreover,  discontented  with  having  a  smaller 
share  in  the  expedition  than  his  comrades.  His  unreasonable 
objections  to  a  further  march  by  land  were  overruled,  and  the 
party  prepared  to  decamp. 

Robinson,  Hoback,  and  Rezner,  the  three  hunters  who  had 
hitherto  served  as  guides  among  the  mountains,  now  stepped 
forward,  and  advised  Mr.  Hunt  to  make  for  the  post  estab 
lished  during  the  preceding  year  by  Mr.  Henry,  of  the 
Missouri  Fur  Company.  They  had  been  with  Mr.  Henry, 
and,  as  far  as  they  could  judge  by  the  neighboring  landmarks, 
his  post  could  not  be  very  far  off.  They  presumed  there 
could  be  but  one  intervening  ridge  of  mountains,  which  might 
be  passed  without  any  great  difficulty.  Henry's  post,  or  fort, 
was  on  an  upper  branch  of  the  Columbia,  down  which  they 
made  no  doubt  it  would  be  easy  to  navigate  in  canoes. 

The  two  Snake  Indians  being  questioned  in  the  matter, 
showed  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  situation  of  the  post,  and 
offered,  with  great  alacrity,  to  guide  them  to  the  place.  Their 
offer  was  accepted,  greatly  to  the  displeasure  of  Mr.  Miller, 


HENRY  S    POST.  13 

who  seemed  obstinately  bent  upon  braving  the  perils  of  Mad 
river. 

The  weather  for  a  few  days  past  had  been  stormy  ;  with 
rain  and  sleet.  The  Rocky  mountains  are  subject  to  tem 
pestuous  winds  from  the  west ;  these,  sometimes,  come  in 
flaws  or  currents,  making  a  path  through  the  forests  many 
yards  in  width,  and  whirling  off  trunks  and  branches  to  a 
great  distance.  The  present  storm  subsided  on  the  third  of 
October,  leaving  all  the  surrounding  heights  covered  with 
snow  ;  for,  while  rain  had  fallen  in  the  valley,  it  had  snowed 
on  the  hill  tops. 

On  the  4th,  they  broke  up  their  encampment,  and  crossed 
the  river,  the  water  coming  up  to  the  girths  of  their  horses. 
After  travelling  four  miles,  they  encamped  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  the  last,  as  they  hoped,  which  they  should  have  to 
traverse.  Four  days  more  took  them  across  it,  and  over 
several  plains,  watered  by  beautiful  little  streams,  tributaries 
of  Mad  river.  Near  one  of  their  encampments  there  was  a 
hot  spring  continually  emitting  a  cloud  of  vapor.  These 
elevated  plains,  which  give  a  peculiar  character  to  the  moun 
tains,  are  frequented  by  large  gangs  of  antelopes,  fleet  as  the 
wind. 

On  the  evening  of  the  8th  October,  after  a  cold  wintry  day, 
with  gusts  of  westerly  wind  and  flurries  of  snow,  they  arrived 
at  the  sought  for  post  of  Mr.  Henry.  Here  he  had  fixed  him 
self,  after  being  compelled  by  the  hostilities  of  the  Blackfeet, 
to  abandon  the  upper  waters  of  the  Missouri.  The  post,  how 
ever,  was  deserted,  for  Mr.  Henry  had  left  it  in  the  course  of 
the  preceding  spring,  and,  as  it  afterwards  appeared,  had  fallen 
in  with  Mr.  Lisa,  at  the  Arickara  village  on  the  Missouri, 

sometime  after  the  separation  of  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  party. 
VOL.  n.  2 


14  GUARDIAN    SNAKES. 

The  weary  travellers  gladly  took  possession  of  the  deserted 
log  huts  which  had  formed  the  post,  and  which  stood  on  the 
bank  of  a  stream  upwards  of  a  hundred  yards  wide,  on  which 
they  intended  to  embark.  There  being  plenty  of  suitable 
timber  in  the  neighborhood,  Mr.  Hunt  immediately  proceeded 
to  construct  canoes.  As  he  would  have  to  leave  his  horses 
and  their  accoutrements  here,  he  determined  to  make  this  a 
trading  post,  where  the  trappers  and  hunters,  to  be  distributed 
about  the  country,  might  repair ;  and  where  the  traders  might 
touch  on  their  way  through  the  mountains  to  and  from  the 
establishment  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  He  informed  the 
two  Snake  Indians  of  this  determination,  and  engaged  them  to 
remain  in  that  neighborhood  and  take  care  of  the  horses  until 
the  white  men  should  return,  promising  them  ample  rewards 
for  their  fidelity.  It  may  seem  a  desperate  chance  to  trust  to 
the  faith  and  honesty  of  two  such  vagabonds  ;  but,  as  the 
horses  would  have,  at  all  events,  to  be  abandoned,  and  would 
otherwise  become  the  property  of  the  first  vagrant  horde  that 
should  encounter  them,  it  was  one  chance  in  favor  of  their 
being  regained. 

At  this  place  another  detachment  of  hunters  prepared  to 
separate  from  the  party  for  the  purpose  of  trapping  beaver. 
Three  of  these  had  already  been  in  this  neighborhood,  being 
the  veteran  Robinson  and  his  companions,  Hoback  and  Rezner, 
who  had  accompanied  Mr.  Henry  across  the  mountains,  and 
who  had  been  picked  up  by  Mr.  Hunt  on  the  Missouri,  on  their 
way  home  to  Kentucky.  According  to  agreement  they  were 
fitted  out  with  horses,  traps,  ammunition,  and  every  thing  requi 
site  for  their  undertaking,  and  were  to  bring  in  all  the  peltries 
they  should  collect,  either  to  this  trading  post,  or  to  the  estab 
lishment  at  the  mouth  of  Columbia  river.  Another  hunter,  of 
the  name  of  Cass,  was  associated  with  them  in  their  enter- 


SINGULAR   RESOLUTION    OF   MR.  MILLER.  15 

prise.  It  is  in  this  way  that  small  knots  of  trappers  and 
hunters  are  distributed  about  the  wilderness  by  the  fur  com 
panies,  and  like  cranes  and  bitterns,  haunt  its  solitary  streams. 
Robinson  the  Kentuckian,  the  veteran  of  the  "  bloody  ground," 
who,  as  has  already  been  noted,  had  been  scalped  by  the 
Indians  in  his  younger  days,  was  the  leader  of  this  little  band. 
When  they  were  about  to  depart,  Mr.  Miller  called  the  partners 
together,  and  threw  up  his  share  in  the  company,  declaring 
his  intention  of  joining  the  party  of  trappers. 

This  resolution  struck  every  one  with  astonishment,  Mr. 
Miller  being  a  man  of  education  and  of  cultivated  habits,  and 
little  fitted  for  the  rude  life  of  a  hunter.  Beside,  the  pre 
carious  and  slender  profits  arising  from  such  a  life  were 
beneath  the  prospects  of  one  who  held  a  share  in  the  general 
enterprise.  Mr.  Hunt  was  especially  concerned  and  mortified 
at  his  determination,  as  it  was  through  his  advice  and  influence 
he  had  entered  into  the  concern.  He  endeavored,  therefore, 
to  dissuade  him  from  this  sudden  resolution ;  representing  its 
rashness,  and  the  hardships  and  perils  to  which  it  would 
expose  him.  He  earnestly  advised  him,  however  he  might 
feel  dissatisfied  with  the  enterprise,  still  to  continue  on  in 
company  until  they  should  reach  the  mouth  of  Columbia  river. 
There  they  would  meet  the  expedition  that  was  to  come  by 
sea ;  when,  should  he  still  feel  disposed  to  relinquish  the 
undertaking,  Mr.  Hunt  pledged  himself  to  furnish  him  a 
passage  home  in  one  of  the  vessels  belonging  to  the  company. 

To  all  this,  Miller  replied  abruptly,  that  it  was  useless  to 
argue  with  him,  as  his  mind  was  made  up.  They  might  fur 
nish  him,  or  not,  as  they  pleased,  with  the  necessary  supplies, 
but  he  was  determined  to  part  company  here,  and  set  off  with 
the  trappers.  So  saying,  he  flung  out  of  their  presence  with 
out  vouchsafing  any  further  conversation. 


16  THE    SNAKE    GUIDES. 

Much  as  this  wayward  conduct  gave  them  anxiety,  the  part 
ners  saw  it  was  in  vain  to  remonstrate.  Every  attention  was 
paid  to  fit  him  out  for  his  headstrong  undertaking.  He  was 
provided  with  four  horses,  and  all  the  articles  he  required. 
The  two  Snakes  undertook  to  conduct  him  and  his  companions 
to  an  encampment  of  their  tribe,  lower  down  among  the  moun 
tains,  from  whom  they  would  receive  information  as  to  the  best 
trapping  grounds.  After  thus  guiding  them,  the  Snakes  were 
to  return  to  Fort  Henry,  as  the  new  trading  post  was  called, 
and  take  charge  of  the  horses  which  the  party  would  leave 
there,  of  which,  after  all  the  hunters  were  supplied,  there 
remained  seventy-seven.  These  matters  being  all  arranged, 
Mr.  Miller  set  out  with  his  companions,  under  guidance  of  the 
two  Snakes,  on  the  10th  of  October  ;  and  much  did  it  grieve 
the  friends  of  that  gentleman  to  see  him  thus  wantonly  casting 
himself  loose  upon  savage  life.  How  he  and  his  comrades 
fared  in  the  wilderness,  and  how  the  Snakes  acquitted  them 
selves  of  their  trust,  respecting  the  horses,  will  hereafter 
appear  in  the  course  of  these  rambling  anecdotes. 


A   MENDICANT    SNAKE.  17 


CHAPTER    II. 

SCANTY  FARE — A  MENDICANT  SNAKE — EMBARCATION  ON  HENRY  RIVER — 

JOY   Of    THE    VOYAGEURS ARRIVAL    AT    SNAKE    RIVER RAPIDS    AND 

BREAKERS BEGINNING   OF   MISFORTUNES SNAKE    ENCAMPMENTS PAR 
LEY  WITH  A  SAVAGE A  SECOND  DISASTER LOSS  OF  A  BOATMAN THE 

CALDRON  LINN. 

WHILE  the  canoes  were  in  preparation,  the  hunters  ranged 
about  the  neighborhood,  but  with  little  success.  Tracks  of 
buffaloes  were  to  be  seen  in  all  directions,  but  none  of  a  fresh 
date.  There  were  some  elk,  but  extremely  wild ;  two  only 
were  killed.  Antelopes  were  likewise  seen,  but  too  shy  and 
fleet  to  be  approached.  A  few  beavers  were  taken  every  night, 
and  salmon  trout  of  a  small  size,  so  that  the  camp  had  princi 
pally  to  subsist  upon  dried  buffalo  meat. 

On  the  14th,  a  poor,  half-naked  Snake  Indian,  one  of  that 
forlorn  caste  called  the  Shuckers,  or  diggers,  made  his  appear 
ance  at  the  camp.  He  came  from  some  lurking  place  among 
the  rocks  and  cliffs,  and  presented  a  picture  of  that  famishing 
wretchedness  to  which  these  lonely  fugitives  among  the  moun 
tains  are  sometimes  reduced.  Having  received  wherewithal 
to  allay  his  hunger,  he  disappeared,  but  in  the  course  of  a  day 
or  two  returned  to  the  camp  bringing  with  him  his  son,  a 
miserable  boy,  still  more  naked  and  forlorn  than  himself. 
Food  was  given  to  both ;  they  skulked  about  the  camp  like 

hungry  hounds,  seeking  what  they -might  devour,  and  having 

2* 


18  SNAKE    RIVER. 

gathered  up  the  feet  and  entrails  of  some  beavers  that  were 
lying  about,  slunk  off  with  them  to  their  den  among  the  rocks. 

By  the  18th  of  October,  fifteen  canoes  were  completed,  and 
on  the  following  day  the  party  embarked  with  their  effects ; 
leaving  their  horses  grazing  about  the  banks,  and  trusting  to 
the  honesty  of  the  two  Snakes,  and  some  special  turn  of  good 
luck  for  their  future  recovery. 

The  current  bore  them  along  at  a  rapid  rate;  the  light 
spirits  of  the  Canadian  voyageurs,  which  had  occasionally 
flagged  upon  land,  rose  to  their  accustomed  buoyancy  on  find 
ing  themselves  again  upon  the  water.  They  wielded  their 
paddles  with  their  wonted  dexterity,  and  for  the  first  time  made 
the  mountains  echo  with  their  favorite  boat  songs. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  the  little  squadron  arrived  at  the 
confluence  of  Henry  and  Mad  rivers,  which,  thus  united, 
swelled  into  a  beautiful  stream  of  a  light  pea-green  color, 
navigable  for  boats  of  any  size,  and  which,  from  the  place 
of  junction,  took  the  name  of  Snake  river,  a  stream  doomed  to 
be  the  scene  of  much  disaster  to  the  travellers.  The  banks 
were  here  and  there  fringed  with  willow  thickets  and  small 
cotton-wood  trees.  -  The  weather  was  cold,  and  it  snowed  all 
day,  and  great  flocks  of  ducks  and  geese,  sporting  in  the  water 
or  streaming  through  the  air,  gave  token  that  winter  was  at 
hand  ;  yet  the  hearts  of  the  travellers  were  light,  and,  as  they 
glided  down  the  little  river,  they  flattered  themselves  with  the 
hope  of  soon  reaching  the  Columbia.  After  making  thirty 
miles  in  a  southerly  direction,  they  encamped  for  the  night  in 
a  neighborhood  which  required  some  little  vigilance,  as  there 
were  recent  traces  of  grizzly  bears  among  the  thickets. 

On  the  following  day  the  river  increased  in  width  and 
beauty ;  flowing  parallel  to  a  range  of  mountains  on  the  left, 
which  at  times  were  finely  reflected  in  its  light  green  waters. 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  TROUBLES.  19 

The  three  snowy  summits  of  the  Pilot  Knobs  or  Tetons,  were 
still  seen  towering  in  the  distance.  After  pursuing  a  swift  but 
placid  course  for  twenty  miles,  the  current  began  to  foam  and 
brawl,  and  assume  the  wild  and  broken  character  common  to 
the  streams  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  In  fact  the  rivers 
which  flow  from  those  mountains  to  the  Pacific,  are  essentially 
different  from  those  which  traverse  the  great  prairies  on  their 
eastern  declivities.  The  latter,  though  sometimes  boisterous, 
are  generally  free  from  obstructions,  and  easily  navigated ;  but 
the  rivers  to  the  west  of  the  mountains  descend  more  steeply 
and  impetuously,  and  are  continually  liable  to  cascades  and 
rapids.  The  latter  abounded  in  the  part  of  the  river  which 
the  travellers  were  now  descending.  Two  of  the  canoes 
filled  among  the  breakers ;  the  crews  were  saved,  but  much 
of  the  lading  was  lost  or  damaged,  and  one  of  the  canoes 
drifted  down  the  stream  and  was  broken  among  the  rocks. 

On  the  following  day,  October  21st,  they  made  but  a  short 
distance  when  they  came  to  a  dangerous  strait,  where  the  river 
was  compressed  for  nearly  half  a  mile  between  perpendicular 
rocks,  reducing  it  to  the  width  of  twenty  yards,  and  increasing 
its  violence.  Here  they  were  obliged  to  pass  the  canoes  down 
cautiously  by  a  line  from  the  impending  banks.  This  con 
sumed  a  great  part  of  a  day ;  and  after  they  had  re-embarked 
they  were  soon  again  impeded  by  rapids,  when  they  had  to 
unload  their  canoes  and  carry  them  and  their  cargoes  for  some 
distance  by  land.  It  is  at  these  places,  called  "portages," 
that  the  Canadian  voyageur  exhibits  his  most  valuable  qual 
ities  ;  carrying  heavy  burdens,  and  toiling  to  and  fro,  on  land 
and  in  the  water,  over  rocks  and  precipices,  among  brakes 
and  brambles,  not  only  without  a  murmur,  but  with  the  greatest 
cheerfulness  and  alacrity,  joking  and  laughing  and  singing 
scraps  of  old  French  ditties. 


20  SCENERY    OF    SNAKE    RIVER. 

The  spirits  of  the  party,  however,  which  had  been  elated 
on  first  varying  their  journeying  from  land  to  water,  had  now 
lost  some  of  their  buoyancy.  Every  thing  ahead  was  wrapped 
in  uncertainty.  They  knew  nothing  of  the  river  on  which 
they  were  floating.  It  had  never  before  been  navigated  by  a 
white  man,  nor  could  they  meet  with  an  Indian  to  give  them 
any  information  concerning  it.  It  kept  on  its  course  through 
a  vast  wilderness  of  silent  and  apparently  uninhabited  moun 
tains,  without  a  savage  wigwam  upon  its  banks,  or  bark  upon 
its  waters.  The  difficulties  and  perils  they  had  already 
passed,  made  them  apprehend  others  before  them,  that  might 
effectually  bar  their  progress.  As  they  glided  onward,  how 
ever,  they  regained  heart  and  hope.  The  current  continued 
to  be  strong ;  but  it  was  steady,  and  though  they  met  with 
frequent  rapids,  none  of  them  were  bad.  Mountains  were 
constantly  to  be  seen  in  different  directions,  but  sometimes 
the  swift  river  glided  through  prairies,  and  was  bordered  by 
small  cotton-wood  trees  and  willows.  These  prairies  at 
certain  seasons  are  ranged  by  migratory  herds  of  the  wide- 
wandering  buffalo,  the  tracks  of  which,  though  not  of  recent 
date,  were  frequently  to  be  seen.  Here,  too,  were  to  be  found 
the  prickly  pear  or  Indian  fig,  a  plant  which  loves  a  more 
southern  climate.  On  the  land  were  large  flights  of  magpies, 
and  American  robins ;  whole  fleets  of  ducks  and  geese  navi 
gated  the  river,  or  flew  off  in  long  streaming  files  at  the 
approach  of  the  canoes ;  while  the  frequent  establishments 
of  the  pains-taking  and  quiet-loving  beaver,  showed  that  the 
solitude  of  these  waters  was  rarely  disturbed,  even  by  the  all- 
pervading  savage. 

They  had  now  come  near  two  hundred  and  eighty  miles 
since  leaving  Fort  Henry,  yet  without  seeing  a  human  being, 
or  a  human  habitation ;  a  wild  and  desert  solitude  extended  on 


SHOSHONIE    TENTS.  21 

either  side  of  the  river,  apparently  almost  destitute  of  animal 
life.  At  length,  on  the  24th  of  October,  they  were  gladdened 
by  the  sight  of  some  savage  tents,  and  hastened  to  land,  and 
visit  them,  for  they  were  anxious  to  procure  information  to 
guide  them  on  their  route.  On  their  approach,  however,  the 
savages  fled  in  consternation.  They  proved  to  be  a  wandering 
band  of  Shoshonies.  In  their  tents  were  great  quantities  of 
small  fish  about  two  inches  long,  together  with  roots  and 
seeds,  or  grain,  which  they  were  drying  for  winter  provisions. 
They  appeared  to  be  destitute  of  tools  of  any  kind,  yet  there 
were  bows  and  arrows  very  well  made ;  the  former  were 
formed  of  pine,  cedar  or  bone,  strengthened  by  sinews,  and 
the  latter  of  the  wood  of  rose  bushes,  and  other  crooked  plants, 
but  carefully  straightened,  and  tipped  with  stone  of  a  bottle- 
green  color. 

There  were  also  vessels  of  willow  and  grass,  so  closely 
wrought  as  to  hold  water,  and  a  seine  neatly  made  with 
meshes,  in  the  ordinary  manner,  of  the  fibres  of  wild  flax  or 
nettle.  The  humble  effects  of  the  poor  savages  remained 
unmolested  by  their  visiters,  and  a  few  small  articles,  with  a 
knife  or  two,  were  left  in  the  camp,  and  were  no  doubt 
regarded  as  invaluable  prizes. 

Shortly  after  leaving  this  deserted  camp,  and  re-embarking 
in  the  canoes,  the  travellers  met  with  three  of  the  Snakes  on 
a  triangular  raft  made  of  flags  or  reeds  ;  such  was  their  rude 
mode  of  navigating  the  river.  They  were  entirely  naked  ex 
cepting  small  mantles  of  hare  skins  over  their  shoulders.  The 
canoes  approached  near  enough  to  gain  a  full  view  of  them, 
but  they  were  not  to  be  brought  to  a  parley. 

All  further  progress  for  the  day  was  barred  by  a  fall  in  the 
river  of  about  thirty  feet  perpendicular  ;  at  the  head  of  which 
the  party  encamped  for  the  night. 


22  PARLEY    WITH    A    SNAKE. 

The  next  day  was  one  of  excessive  toil  and  but  little  pro 
gress  :  the  river  winding  through  a  wild  rocky  country,  and 
being  interrupted  by  frequent  rapids,  among  which  the  canoes 
were  in  great  peril.  On  the  succeeding  day  they  again  visited 
a  camp  of  wandering  Snakes,  but  the  inhabitants  fled  with 
terror  at  the  sight  of  a  fleet  of  canoes,  filled  with  white  men, 
coming  down  their  solitary  river. 

As  Mr.  Hunt  was  extremely  anxious  to  gain  information 
concerning  his  route,  he  endeavored  by  all  kinds  of  friendly 
signs  to  entice  back  the  fugitives.  At  length  one,  who  was 
on  horseback,  ventured  back  with  fear  and  trembling.  He 
was  better  clad,  and  in  better  condition  than  most  of  his 
vagrant  tribe  that  Mr.  Hunt  had  yet  seen.  The  chief  object 
of  his  return  appeared  to  be  to  intercede  for  a  quantity  of  dried 
meat  and  salmon  trout,  which  he  had  left  behind ;  on  which, 
probably,  he  depended  for  his  winter's  subsistence.  The  poor 
wretch  approached  with  hesitation,  the  alternate  dread  of 
famine  and  of  white  men  operating  upon  his  mind.  He  made 
the  most  abject  signs,  imploring  Mr.  Hunt  not  to  carry  off  his 
food.  The  latter  tried  in  every  way  to  reassure  him,  and 
offered  him  knives  in  exchange  for  his  provisions ;  great  as 
was  the  temptation,  the  poor  Snake  could  only  prevail  upon 
himself  to  spare  a  part ;  keeping  a  feverish  watch  over  the 
rest,  lest  it  should  be  taken  away.  It  was  in  vain  Mr.  Hunt 
made  inquiries  of  him  concerning  his  route,  and  the  course  of 
the  river.  The  Indian  was  too  much  frightened  and  bewil 
dered  to  comprehend  him  or  to  reply  ;  he  did  nothing  but 
alternately  commend  himself  to  the  protection  of  the  Good 
Spirit,  and  supplicate  Mr.  Hunt  not  to  take  away  his  fish  and 
buffalo  meat ;  and  in  this  state  they  left  him,  trembling  about 
his  treasures 


FATE    OF    CLAPPINE.  23 

In  the  course  of  that  and  the  next  day  they  made  nearly 
eighty  miles ;  the  river  inclining  to  the  south  of  west,  and 
being  clear  and  beautiful,  nearly  half  a  mile  in  width,  with 
many  populous  communities  of  the  beaver  along  its  banks. 
The  28th  of  October,  however,  was  a  day  of  disaster.  The 
river  again  become  rough  and  impetuous,  and  was  chafed  and 
broken  by  numerous  rapids.  These  grew  more  and  more 
dangerous,  and  the  utmost  skill  was  required  to  steer  among 
them.  Mr.  Crooks  was  seated  in  the  second  canoe  of  the 
squadron,  and  had  an  old  experienced  Canadian  for  steersman, 
named  Antoine  Clappine,  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  the 
voyageurs.  The  leading  canoe  had  glided  safely  among  the 
turbulent  and  roaring  surges,  but  in  following  it,  Mr.  Crooks 
perceived  that  his  canoe  was  bearing  towards  a  rock.  He 
called  out  to  the  steersman,  but  his  warning  voice  was  either 
unheard  or  unheeded.  In  the  next  moment  they  struck  upon 
the  rock.  The  canoe  was  split  and  overturned.  There  were 
five  persons  on  board.  Mr.  Crooks  and  one  of  his  companions 
were  thrown  amidst  roaring  breakers  and  a  whirling  current, 
but  succeeded,  by  strong  swimming,  to  reach  the  shore.  Clap- 
pine  and  two  others  clung  to  the  shattered  bark,  and  drifted 
with  it  to  a  rock.  The  wreck  struck  the  rock  with  one  end, 
and  swinging  round  flung  poor  Clappine  off  into  the  raging 
stream,  which  swept  him  away,  and  he  perished.  His  com 
rades  succeeded  in  getting  upon  the  rock,  from  whence  they 
were  afterwards  taken  off. 

This  disastrous  event  brought  the  whole  squadron  to  a  halt, 
and  struck  a  chill  into  every  bosom.  Indeed,  they  had  arrived 
at  a  terrific  strait,  that  forbade  all  further  progress  in  the 
canoes,  and  dismayed  the  most  experienced  voyageur.  The 
whole  body  of  the  river  was  compressed  into  a  space  of  less 


24  THE    CALDRON    LINN. 

than  thirty  feet  in  width,  between  two  ledges  of  rocks,  upwards 
of  two  hundred  feet  high,  and  formed  a  whirling  and  tumultuous 
vortex,  so  frightfully  agitated,  as  to  receive  the  name  of  "  The 
Caldron  Linn."  Beyond  this  fearful  abyss,  the  river  kept 
raging  and  roaring  on,  until  lost  to  sight  among  impending 
precipices. 


EXPLORING    PARTIES.  25 


CHAPTER   III. 

GLOOMY   COUNCIL — EXPLORING   PARTIES — DISCOURAGING  REPORTS — DISAS 
TROUS   EXPERIMENT DETACHMENTS  IN  QUEST    OF    SUCCOR CACHES,   HOW 

MADE RETURN  OF  ONE  OF  THE  DETACHMENTS UNSUCCESSFUL FURTHER 

DISAPPOINTMENTS THE  DEVIL'S  SCUTTLE  HOLE. 

MR.  HUNT  and  his  companions  encamped  upon  the  borders  of 
the  Caldron  Linn,  and  held  gloomy  council  as  to  their  future 
course.  The  recent  wreck  had  dismayed  even  the  voyageurs, 
and  the  fate  of  their  popular  comrade,  Clappine,  one  of  the 
most  adroit  and  experienced  of  their  fraternity,  had  struck 
sorrow  to  their  hearts,  for,  with  all  their  levity,  these  thought 
less  beings  have  great  kindness  towards  each  other. 

The  whole  distance  they  had  navigated  since  leaving 
Henry's  fort,  was  computed  to  be  about  three  hundred  and 
forty  miles ;  strong  apprehensions  were  now  entertained  that 
the  tremendous  impediments  before  them  would  oblige  them  to 
abandon  their  canoes.  It  was  determined  to  send  exploring 
parties  on  each  side  of  the  river,  to  ascertain  whether  it  was 
possible  to  navigate  it  .further.  Accordingly,  on  the  following 
morning  three  men  were  despatched  along  the  south  bank, 
while  Mr.  Hunt  and  three  others  proceeded  along  the  north. 
The  two  parties  returned  after  a  weary  scramble  among 
swamp,  rocks,  and  precipices,  and  with  very  disheartening 
accounts.  For  nearly  forty  miles  that  they  had  explored,  the 
river  foamed  and  roared  along  through  a  deep  and  narrow 


26  DANGERS    AND    DIFFICULTIES. 

channel,  from  twenty  to  thirty  yards  wide,  which  it  had  worn, 
in  the  course  of  ages,  through  the  heart  of  a  barren  rocky 
country.  The  precipices  on  each  side,  were  often  two  and 
three  hundred  feet  high,  sometimes  perpendicular  and  some 
times  overhanging,  so  that  it  was  impossible,  excepting  in  one 
or  two  places,  to  get  down  to  the  margin  of  the  stream.  This 
dreary  strait  was  rendered  the  more  dangerous  by  frequent 
rapids,  and  occasionally  perpendicular  falls  from  ten  to  forty 
feet  in  height ;  so  that  it  seemed  almost  hopeless  to  attempt 
to  pass  the  canoes  down  it.  The  party,  however,  who  had 
explored  the  south  side  of  the  river  had  found  a  place,  about 
six  miles  from  the  camp,  where  they  thought  it  possible  the 
canoes  might  be  carried  down  the  bank  and  launched  upon 
the  stream,  and  from  whence  they  might  make  their  way  with 
the  aid  of  occasional  portages.  Four  of  the  best  canoes  were 
accordingly  selected  for  the  experiment,  and  were  transported 
to  the  place  on  the  shoulders  of  sixteen  of  the  men.  At  the 
same  time,  Mr.  Reed  the  clerk,  and  three  men,  were  detached 
to  explore  the  river  still  further  down  than  the  previous  scout 
ing  parties  had  been,  and  at  the  same  time  to  look  out  for 
Indians  from  whom  provisions  might  be  obtained,  and  a  supply 
of  horses,  should  it  be  found  necessary  to  proceed  by  land. 

The  party  who  had  been  sent  with  the  canoes  returned  on 
the  following  day,  weary  and  dejected.  One  of  the  canoes 
had  been  swept  away  with  all  the  weapons  and  effects  of 
four  of  the  voyageurs,  in  attempting  to  pass  it  down  a  rapid 
by  means  of  a  line.  The  other  three  had  stuck  fast  among 
the  rocks,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  move  them ;  the 
men  returned,  therefore,  in  despair,  and  declared  the  river 
unnavigable. 

The  situation  of  the  unfortunate  travellers  was  now  gloomy 
in  the  extreme.  They  were  in  the  heart  of  an  unknown 


FORAGING    DETACHMENTS.  27 

wilderness,  untraversed  as  yet  by  a  white  man.  They  were 
at  a  loss  what  route  to  take,  and  how  far  they  were  from  the 
ultimate  place  of  their  destination,  nor  could  they  meet,  in 
these  uninhabited  wilds,  with  any  human  being  to  give  them 
information.  The  repeated  accidents  to  their  canoes  had 
reduced  their  stock  of  provisions  to  five  days  allowance,  and 
there  was  now  every  appearance  of  soon  having  famine  added 
to  their  other  sufferings. 

This  last  circumstance  rendered  it  more  perilous  to  keep 
together  than  to  separate.  Accordingly,  after  a  little  anxious 
but  bewildered  council,  it  was  determined  that  several  small 
detachments  should  start  off  in  different  directions,  headed  by 
the  several  partners.  Should  any  of  them  succeed  in  falling 
in  with  friendly  Indians,  within  a  reasonable  distance,  and 
obtaining  a  supply  of  provisions  and  horses,  they  were  to 
return  to  the  aid  of  the  main  body :  otherwise,  they  were  to 
shift  for  themselves,  and  shape  their  course  according  to  cir 
cumstances  ;  keeping  the  mouth  of  Columbia  river  as  the 
ultimate  point  of  their  wayfaring.  Accordingly,  three  several 
parties  set  off  from  the  camp  at  Caldron  Linn,  in  opposite  di 
rections.  Mr.  M'Lellan,  with  three  men,  kept  down  along  the 
bank  of  the  river.  Mr.  Crooks,  with  five  others,  turned  their 
steps  up  it;  retracing  by  land  the  weary  course  they  had 
made  by  water,  intending,  should  they  not  find  relief  nearer  at 
hand,  to  keep  on  until  they  should  reach  Henry's  fort,  where 
they  hoped  to  find  the  horses  they  had  left  there,  and  to  return 
with  them  to  the  main  body. 

The  third  party,  composed  of  five  men,  was  headed  by  Mr. 
M'Kenzie,  who  struck  to  the  northward,  across  the  desert 
plains,  in  hopes  of  coming  upon  the  main  stream  of  the 
Columbia. 

Having   seen  these  three  adventurous  bands  depart  upon 


£8  A    CACHE. 

their  forlorn  expeditions,  Mr.  Hunt  turned  his  thoughts  to 
provide  for  the  subsistence  of  the  main  body  left  to  his  charge, 
and  to  prepare  for  their  future  march.  There  remained  with 
him  thirty-one  men,  beside  the  squaw  and  two  children  of 
Pierre  Dorion.  There  was  no  game  to  be  met  with  in  the 
neighborhood  ;  but  beavers  were  occasionally  trapped  about 
the  river  banks,  which  afforded  a  scanty  supply  of  food  ;  in 
the  meantime  they  comforted  themselves  that  some  one  or 
other  of  the  foraging  detachments  would  be  successful,  and 
return  with  relief. 

Mr.  Hunt  n«ow  set  to  work  with  all  diligence,  to  prepare 
caches,  in  which  to  deposite  the  baggage  and  merchandize,  of 
which  it  would  be  necessary  to  disburthen  themselves,  prepa 
ratory  to  their  weary  march  by  land  ;  and  here  we  shall  give 
a  brief  description  of  those  contrivances,  so  noted  in  the 

• 

wilderness. 

A  cache  is  a  term  common  among  traders  and  hunters,  to 
designate  a  hiding  place  for  provisions  and  effects.  It  is 
derived  from  the  French  word  cacher,  to  conceal,  and  origi 
nated  among  the  early  colonists  of  Canada  and  Louisiana ; 
but  the  secret  depository  which  it  designates  was  in  use 
among  the  aboriginals  long  before  the  intrusion  of  the  white 
men.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  only  mode  that  migratory  hordes 
have  of  preserving  their  valuables  from  robbery,  during  their 
long  absences  from  their  villages  or  accustomed  haunts,  on 
hunting  expeditions,  or  during  the  vicissitudes  of  war.  The 
utmost  skill  and  caution  are  required  to  render  these  places  of 
concealment  invisible  to  the  lynx  eye  of  an  Indian.  The  first 
care  is  to  seek  out  a  proper  situation,  which  is  generally  some 
dry  low  bank  of  clay,  on  the  margin  of  a  water  course.  As 
soon  as  the  precise  spot  is  pitched  upon,  blankets,  saddle 
cloths,  and  other  coverings,  are  spread  over  the  surrounding 


A   CACHE.  29 

grass  and  bushes,  to  prevent  foot  tracks,  or  any  other  derange 
ment  ;  and  as  few  hands  as  possible  are  employed.  A  circle 
of  about  two  feet  in  diameter  is  then  nicely  cut  in  the  sod, 
which  is  carefully  removed,  with  the  loose  soil  immediately 
beneath  it,  and  laid  aside  in  a  place  where  it  will  be  safe  from 
any  thing  that  may  change  its  appearance.  The  uncovered 
area  is  then  digged  perpendicularly  to  the  depth  of  about  three 
feet,  and  is  then  gradually  widened  so  as  to  form  a  conical 
chamber  six  or  seven  feet  deep.  The  whole  of  the  earth 
displaced  by  this  process,  being  of  a  different  color  from  that 
on  the  surface,  is  handed  up  in  a  vessel,  and  heaped  into  a 
skin  or  cloth,  in  which  it  is  conveyed  to  the  stream  and  thrown 
into  the  midst  of  the  current,  that  it  may  be  entirely  carried 
off.  Should  the  cache  not  be  formed  in  the  vicinity  of  a 
stream,  the  earth  thus  thrown  up  is  carried  to  a  distance,  and 
scattered  in  such  manner  as  not  to  leave  the  minutest  trace. 
The  cave  being  formed,  is  well  lined  with  dry  grass,  bark, 
sticks,  and  poles,  and  occasionally  a  dried  hide.  The  pro 
perty  intended  to  be  hidden  is  then  laid  in,  after  having  been 
well  aired  :  a  hide  is  spread  over  it,  and  dried  grass,  brush, 
and  stones,  thrown  in,  and  trampled  down  until  the  pit  is  filled 
to  the  neck.  The  loose  soil,  which  had  been  put  aside,  is 
then  brought,  and  rammed  down  firmly,  to  prevent  its  caving 
in,  and  is  frequently  sprinkled  with  water,  to  destroy  the  scent, 
lest  the  wolves  and  bears  should  be  attracted  to  the  place,  and 
root  up  the  concealed  treasure.  When  the  neck  of  the  cache 
is  nearly  level  with  the  surrounding  surface,  the  sod  is  again 
fitted  in  with  the  utmost  exactness,  and  any  bushes,  stocks, 
or  stones,  that  may  have  originally  been  about  the  spot,  are 
restored  to  their  former  places.  The  blankets  and  other 
coverings  are  then  removed  from  the  surrounding  herbage : 
all  tracks  are  obliterated :  the  grass  is  gently  raised  by  the 


30  RETURN    OF    MR.  CROOKS. 

hand  to  its  natural  position,  and  the  minutest  chip  or  straw  is 
scrupulously  gleaned  up  and  thrown  into  the  stream.  After 
all  is  done,  the  place  is  abandoned  for  the  night,  and,  if  all  be 
right  next  morning,  is  not  visited  again,  until  there  be  a  neces 
sity  for  re-opening  the  cache.  Four  men  are  sufficient  in  this 
way,  to  conceal  the  amount  of  three  tons  weight  of  provisions 
or  merchandize,  in  the  course  of  two  days.  Nine  caches 
were  required  to  contain  the  goods  and  baggage  which  Mr. 
Hunt  found  it  necessary  to  leave  at  this  place. 

Three  days  had  been  thus  employed  since  the  departure  of 
the  several  detachments,  when  that  of  Mr.  Crooks  unexpect 
edly  made  its  appearance.  A  momentary  joy  was  diffused 
through  the  camp,  for  they  supposed  succor  to  be  at  hand.  It 
was  soon  dispelled.  Mr.  Crooks  and  his  companions  had 
become  completely  disheartened  by  this  retrograde  march 
through  a  bleak  and  barren  country  ;  and  had  found,  computing 
from  their  progress  and  the  accumulating  difficulties  besetting 
every  step,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  reach  Henry's  fort, 
and  return  to  the  main  body  in  the  course  of  the  winter.  They 
had  determined,  therefore,  to  rejoin  their  comrades,  and  share 
their  lot. 

One  avenue  of  hope  was  thus  closed  upon  the  anxious 
sojourners  at  the  Caldron  Linn  ;  their  main  expectation  of 
relief  was  now  from  the  two  parties  under  Reed  and  M'Lellan, 
which  had  proceeded  down  the  river ;  for,  as  to  Mr.  M'Ken- 
zie's  detachment,  which  had  struck  across  the  plains,  they 
thought  it  would  have  sufficient  difficulty  in  struggling  forward 
through  the  trackless  wilderness.  For  five  days  they  con 
tinued  to  support  themselves  by  trapping  and  fishing.  Some 
fish  of  tolerable  size  were  speared  at  night  by  the  light  of 
cedar  torches ;  others,  that  were  very  small,  were  caught  in 
Bets  with  fine  meshes.  The  product  of  their  fishing,  however, 


THE    DEVIL'S    SCUTTLE    HOLE.  31 

was  very  scanty.  Their  trapping  was  also  precarious ;  and 
the  tails  and  bellies  of  the  beavers  were  dried  and  put  by  for 
the  journey. 

At  length,  two  of  the  companions  of  Mr.  Reed  returned,  and 
were  hailed  with  the  most  anxious  eagerness.  Their  report 
served  but  to  increase  the  general  despondency.  They  had 
followed  Mr.  Reed  for  some  distance  below  the  point  to  which 
Mr.  Hunt  had  explored,  but  had  met  with  no  Indians,  from 
whom  to  obtain  information  and  relief.  The  river  still  pre 
sented  the  same  furious  aspect,  brawling  and  boiling  along 
a  narrow  and  rugged  channel,  between  rocks  that  rose  like 
walls. 

A  lingering  hope,  which  had  been  indulged  by  some  of  the 
party,  of  proceeding  by  water,  was  now  finally  given  up :  the 
long  and  terrific  strait  of  the  river  set  all  further  progress  at 
defiance,  and  in  their  disgust  at  the  place,  and  their  vexation 
at  the  disasters  sustained  there,  they  gave  it  the  indignant, 
though  not  very  decorous  appellation,  of  the  Devil's  Scuttle 
Hole. 


32  A    NEW    DETERMINATION. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

DETERMINATION  OF  THE  PARTY  TO  PROCEED   ON  FOOT — DREARY  DESERTS 
BETWEEN  SNAKE  RIVER  AND  THE  COLUMBIA — DISTRIBUTION  OF  EFFECTS 

PREPARATORY  TO  A  MARCH DIVISION  OF  THE   PARTY RUGGED  MARCH 

ALONG  THE  RIVER WILD  AND  BROKEN  SCENERY SHOSHONIES ALARM 

OF   A  SNAKE   ENCAMPMENT — INTERCOURSE   WITH    THE    SNAKES — HORSE 

DEALING— VALUE  OF  A  TIN  KETTLE SUFFERINGS  FROM  THIRST A  HORSE 

RECLAIMED FORTITUDE  OF  AN  INDIAN  WOMAN SCARCITY   OF  FOOD 

DOG'S     FLESH    A    DAINTY NEWS    OF    MR    CROOKS    AND    HIS    PARTY PAIN 
FUL     TRAVELLING     AMONG     THE     MOUNTAINS SNOW    STORMS A     DREARY 

MOUNTAIN     PROSPECT A    BIVOUACK     DURING   A    WINTRY     NIGHT RETURN 

TO    THE    RIVER    BANK. 

THE  resolution  of  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  companions  was  now 
taken  to  set  out  immediately  on  foot.  As  to  the  other  detach 
ments  that  had  in  a  manner  gone  forth  to  seek  their  fortunes, 
there  was  little  chance  of  their  return ;  they  would  probably 
make  their  own  way  throught  the  wilderness.  At  any  rate, 
to  linger  in  the  vague  hope  of  relief  from  them,  would  be  to 
run  the  risk  of  perishing  with  hunger.  Besides,  the  winter 
was  rapidly  advancing,  and  they  had  a  long  journey  to  make 
through  an  unknown  country,  where  all  kinds  of  perils  might 
await  them.  They  were  yet,  in  fact,  a  thousand  miles  from 
Astoria,  but  the  distance  was  unknown  to  them  at  the  time : 
every  thing  before  and  around  them  was  vague  and  conjectural* 
and  wore  an  aspect  calculated  to  inspire  despondency. 


THE    DESERTS    OF    SNAKE    RIVER.  33 

In  abandoning  the  river,  they  would  have  to  launch  forth 
upon  vast  trackless  plains  destitute  of  all  means  of  subsistence, 
where  they  might  perish  of  hunger  and  thirst.  A  dreary 
desert  of  sand  and  gravel  extends  from  Snake  river  almost  to 
the  Columbia.  Here  and  there  is  a  thin  and  scanty  herbage, 
insufficient  for  the  pasturage  of  horse  or  buffalo.  Indeed 
these  treeless  wastes  between  the  Rocky  mountains  and  the 
Pacific,  are  even  more  desolate  and  barren  than  the  naked, 
upper  prairies  on  the  Atlantic  side ;  they  present  vast  desert 
tracts  that  must  ever  defy  cultivation,  and  interpose  dreary 
and  thirsty  wilds  between  the  habitations  of  man,  in  traversing 
which,  the  wanderer  will  often  be  in  danger  of  perishing.  , 

Seeing  the  hopeless  character  of  these  wastes,  Mr.  Hunt 
and  his  companions  determined  to  keep  along  the  course  of 
the  river,  where  they  would  always  have  water  at  hand  and 
would  be  able  occasionally  to  procure  fish,  and  beaver,  and 
might  perchance  meet  with  Indians,  from  whom  they  could 
obtain  provisions. 

They  now  made  their  final  preparations  for  the  march.  All 
their  remaining  stock  of  provisions  consisted  of  forty  pounds 
of  Indian  corn,  twenty  pounds  of  grease,  about  five  pounds 
of  portable  soup,  and  a  sufficient  quantity  of  dried  meat  to 
allow  each  man  a  pittance  of  five  pounds  and  a  quarter,  to  be 
reserved  for  emergencies.  This  being  properly  distributed, 
they  deposited  all  their  goods  and  superfluous  articles  in  the 
caches,  taking  nothing  with  them  but  what  was  indispensible 
to  the  journey.  With  all  their  management,  each  man  had 
to  carry  twenty  pound's  weight  beside  his  own  articles  and 
equipments. 

That  they  might  have  the  better  chance  of  procuring  sub 
sistence  in  the  scanty  .regions  they  were  to  traverse,  they 
divided  their  party  into  two  bands,  Mr.  Hunt,  with  eighteen 


•*<r 

34  MARCH    ALONG    THE    RIVER. 

men,  beside  Pierre  Dorion  and  his  family,  was  to  proceed 
down  the  north  side  of  the  river,  while  Mr.  Crooks  with 
eighteen  men,  kept  along  the  south  side. 

On  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  October,  the  two  parties 
separated  and  set  forth  on  their  several  courses.  Mr.  Hunt 
and  his  companions  followed  along  the  right  bank  of  the  river, 
which  made  its  way  far  below  them,  brawling  at  the  foot  of 
perpendicular  precipices  of  solid  rock,  two  and  three  hundred 
feet  high.  For  twenty-eight  miles  that  they  travelled  this  day, 
they  found  it  impossible  to  get  down  to  the  margin  of  the 
stream.  At  the  end  of  this  distance  they  encamped  for  the 
night  at  a  place  which  admitted  a  scrambling  descent.  It  was 
with  the  greatest  difficulty,  however,  that  they  succeeded  in 
getting  up  a  kettle  of  water  from  the  river  for  the  use  of  the 
camp.  As  some  rain  had  fallen  in  the  afternoon,  they  passed 
the  night  under  the  shelter  of  the  rocks. 

The  next  day  they  continued  thirty-two  miles  to  the  north 
west,  keeping  along  the  river,  which  still  ran  in  its  deep  cut 
channel.  Here  and  there  a  sandy  beach  or  a  narrow  strip 
of  soil,  fringed  with  dwarf  willows,  would  extend  for  a  little 
distance  along  the  foot  of  the  cliffs,  and  sometimes  a  reach 
of  still  water  would  intervene  like  a  smooth  mirror  between 
the  foaming  rapids. 

As  through  the  preceding  day,  they  journeyed  on  without 
finding,  except  in  one  instance,  any  place  where  they  could 
get  down  to  the  river's  edge,  and  they  were  fain  to  allay  the 
thirst  caused  by  hard  travelling,  with  the  water  collected  in 
the  hollow  of  the  rocks. 

In  the  course  of  their  march  on  the  following  morning,  they 
fell  into  a  beaten  horse  path  leading  along  the  river,  which 
showed  that  they  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  some  Indian 
village  or  encampment.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  along  it, 


SHOSHONIE    LODGES.  35 

when  they  met  with  two  Shoshonies,  or  Snakes.  They 
approached  with  some  appearance  of  uneasiness,  and  accost 
ing  Mr.  Hunt,  held  up  a  knife,  which  by  signs  they  let  him 
know  they  had  received  from  some  of  the  white  men  of  the 
advance  parties.  It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  Mr.  Hunt 
prevailed  upon  one  of  the  savages  to  conduct  him  to  the  lodges 
of  his  people.  Striking  into  a  trail  or  path  which  led  up  from 
the  river,  he  guided  them  for  some  distance  in  the  prairie, 
until  they  came  in  sight  of  a  number  of  lodges  made  of  straw, 
and  shaped  like  hay  stacks.  Their  approach,  as  on  former 
occasions,  caused  the  wildest  affright  among  the  inhabitants. 
The  women  hid  such  of  their  children  as  were  too  large  to 
be  carried,  and  too  small  to  take  care  of  themselves,  under 
straw,  and,  clasping  their  infants  to  their  breasts,  fled  across 
the  prairie.  The  men  awaited  the  approach  of  the  strangers, 
but  evidently  in  great  alarm. 

Mr.  Hunt  entered  the  lodges,  and,  as  he  was  looking  about, 
observed  where  the  children  were  concealed  ;  their  black  eyes 
glistening  like  those  of  snakes,  from  beneath  the  straw.  He 
lifted  up  the  covering  to  look  at  them ;  the  poor  little  beings 
were  horribly  frightened,  and  their  fathers'  stood  trembling,  as 
if  a  beast  of  prey  were  about  to  pounce  upon  the  brood. 

The  friendly  manner  of  Mr.  Hunt  soon  dispelled  these 
apprehensions  ;  he  succeeded  in  purchasing  some  excellent 
dried  salmon,  and  a  dog,  an  animal  much  esteemed  as  food, 
by  the  natives  ;  and  when  he  returned  to  the  river  one  of  the 
Indians  accompanied  him.  He  now  came  to  where  lodges 
were  frequent  along  the  banks,  and,  after  a  day's  journey  of 
twenty-six  miles  to  the  northwest,  encamped  in  a  populous 
neighborhood.  Forty  or  fifty  of  the  natives  soon  visited  the 
camp,  conducting  themselves  in  a  very  amicable  manner. 
They  were  well  clad,  and  all  had  buffalo  robes,  which  they 


36  CURED    SALMON. 

procured  from  some  of  the  hunting  tribes  in  exchange  for 
salmon.  Their  habitations  were  very  comfortable  ;  each  had 
its  pile  of  wormwood  at  the  door  for  fuel,  and  within  was 
abundance  of  salmon,  some  fresh,  but  the  greater  part  cured. 
When  the  white  men  visited  the  lodges,  however,  the  women 
and  children  hid  themselves  through  fear.  Among  the  supplies 
obtained  here  were  two  dogs,  on  which  our  travellers  break 
fasted,  and  found  them  to  be  very  excellent,  well-flavored, 
and  hearty  food. 

In  the  course  of  the  three  following  days,  they  made  about 
sixty-three  miles,  generally  in  a  north-west  direction.  They 
met  with  many  of  the  natives  in  their  straw-built  cabins  who 
received  them  without  alarm.  About  their  dwellings  were 
immense  quantities  of  the  heads  and  skins  of  salmon,  the  best 
parts  of  which  had  been  cured,  and  hidden  in  the  ground. 
The  women  were  badly  clad ;  the  children  worse  ;  their  gar 
ments  were  buffalo  robes,  or  the  skins  of  foxes,  wolves,  hares 
and  badgers,  and  sometimes  the  skins  of  ducks,  sewed  to 
gether,  with  the  plumage  on.  Most  of  the  skins  must  have 
been  procured  by  traffic  with  other  tribes,  or  in  distant  hunt 
ing  excursions,  for  the  naked  prairies  in  the  neighborhood 
afforded  few  animals,  excepting  horses,  which  were  abundant. 
There  were  signs  of  buffaloes  having  been  there,  but  a  long 
time  before. 

On  the  15th  of  November,  they  made  twenty-eight  miles 
along  the  river  which  was  entirely  free  from  rapids.  The 
shores  were  lined  with  dead  salmon,  which  tainted  the  whole 
atmosphere.  The  natives  whom  they  met  spoke  of  Mr.  Reed's 
party  having  passed  through  that  neighborhood.  In  the  course 
of  the  day  Mr.  Hunt  saw  a  few  horses,  but  the  owners  of  them 
took  care  to  hurry  them  out  of  the  way.  All  the  provisions 
they  were  able  to  procure,  were  two  dogs  and  a  salmon.  On 


VALUE    OF    A    TIN    KETTLE.  37 

the  following  day  they  were  still  worse  off,  having  to  subsist 
on  parched  corn,  and  the  remains  of  their  dried  meat.  The 
river  this  day  had  resumed  its  turbulent  character,  forcing  its 
way  through  a  narrow  channel  between  steep  rocks,  and  down 
violent  rapids.  They  made  twenty  miles  over  a  rugged  road, 
gradually  approaching  a  mountain  in  the  northwest,  covered 
with  snow,  which  had  been  in  sight  for  three  days  past. 

On  the  17th,  they  met  with  several  Indians,  one  of  whom 
had  a  horse.  Mr.  Hunt  was  extremely  desirous  of  obtaining 
it  as  a  pack  horse ;  for  the  men,  worn  down  by  fatigue  and 
hunger,  found  the  loads  of  twenty  pound's  weight  which  they 
had  to  carry,  daily  growing  heavier  and  more  galling.  The 
Indians,  however,  along  this  river,  were  never  willing  to  part 
with  their  horses,  having  none  to  spare.  The  owner  of  the 
steed  in  question  seemed  proof  against  all  temptation ;  article 
after  article  of  great  value  in  Indian  eyes  was  offered  and 
refused.  The  charms  of  an  old  tin  kettle,  however,  were 
irresistible,  and  a  bargain  was  concluded. 

A  great  part  of  the  following  morning  was  consumed  in 
lightening  the  packages  of  the  men  and  arranging  the  load  for 
the  horse.  At  this  encampment  there  was  no  wood  for  fuel, 
even  the  wormwood  on  which  they  had  frequently  depended, 
having  disappeared.  For  the  two  last  days  they  had  made 
thirty  miles  to  the  northwest. 

On  the  19th  of  November,  Mr.  Hunt  was  lucky  enough  to 
purchase  another  horse  for  his  own  use,  giving  in  exchange 
a  tomahawk,  a  knife,  a  fire  steel,  and  some  beads  and  garter 
ing.  In  an  evil  hour,  however,  he  took  the  advice  of  the 
Indians  to  abandon  the  river,  and  follow  a  road  or  trail,  leading 
into  the  prairies.  He  soon  had  cause  to  repent  the  change. 
The  road  led  across  a  dreary  waste,  without  verdure ;  and 
where  there  was  neither  fountain,  nor  pool,  nor  running  stream. 

VOL.  II.  4 


38  SUFFERINGS  FROM  THIRST. 

The  men  now  began  to  experience  the  torments  of  thirst, 
aggravated  by  their  usual  diet  of  dried  fish.  The  thirst  of 
the  Canadian  voyageurs  became  so  insupportable  as  to  drive 
them  to  the  most  revolting  means  of  allaying  it.  For  twenty- 
five  miles  did  they  toil  on  across  this  dismal  desert,  and  laid 
themselves  down  at  night,  parched  and  disconsolate,  beside 
their  wormwood  fires ;  looking  forward  to  still  greater  suffer 
ings  on  the  following  day.  Fortunately  it  began  to  rain  in  the 
night,  to  their  infinite  relief;  the  water  soon  collected  in 
puddles  and  afforded  them  delicious  draughts. 

Refreshed  in  this  manner,  they  resumed  their  wayfaring  as 
soon  as  the  first  streaks  of  dawn  gave  light  enough  for  them 
to  see  their  path.  The  rain  continued  all  day  so  that  they  no 
longer  suffered  from  thirst,  but  hunger  took  its  place,  for,  after 
travelling  thirty-three  miles  they  had  nothing  to  sup  on  but 
a  little  parched  corn.  . 

The  next  day  brought  them  to  the  banks  of  a  beautiful  little 
stream,  running  to  the  west,  and  fringed  with  groves  of  cotton- 
wood  and  willow.  On  its  borders  was  an  Indian  camp,  with 
a  great  many  horses  grazing  around  it.  The  inhabitants,  too, 
appeared  to  be  better  clad  than  usual.  The  scene  was  al 
together  a  cheering  one  to  the  poor  half-famished  wanderers. 
They  hastened  to  the  lodges,  but  on  arriving  at  them,  met 
with  a  check  that  at  first  dampened  their  cheerfulness.  An 
Indian  immediately  laid  claim  to  the  horse  of  Mr.  Hunt, 
saying  that  it  had  been  stolen  from  him.  There  was  no  dis 
proving  a  fact,  supported  by  numerous  bystanders,  and  which 
the  horse  stealing  habits  of  the  Indians  rendered  but  too 
probable  ;  so  Mr.  Hunt  relinquished  his  steed  to  the  claimant ; 
not  being  able  to  retain  him  by  a  second  purchase. 

At  this  place  they  encamped  for  the  night  and  made  a  sump 
tuous  repast  upon  fish  and  a  couple  of  dogs,  procured  from 


FORTITUDE    OF    THE    INDIAN    WOMEN.  39 

their  Indian  neighbors.  The  next  day  they  kept  along  the 
river,  but  came  to  a  halt  after  ten  miles  march,  on  account 
of  the  rain.  Here  they  again  got  a  supply  of  fish  and  dogs 
from  the  natives ;  and  two  of  the  men  were  fortunate  enough 
each  to  get  a  horse  in  exchange  for  a  buffalo  robe.  One 
of  these  men  was  Pierre  Dorion,  the  half-breed  interpreter, 
to  whose  suffering  family  the  horse  was  a  most  timely  acquisi 
tion.  And  here  we  cannot  but  notice  the  wonderful  patience, 
perseverance  and  hardihood  of  the  Indian  women,  as  exem 
plified  in-  the  conduct  of  the  poor  squaw  of  the  interpreter. 
She  was  now  far  advanced  in  her  pregnancy,  and  had  two 
children  to  take  care  of;  one  four,  and  the  other  two  years 
of  age.  The  latter  of  course  she  had  frequently  to  carry  on 
her  back,  in  addition  to  the  burthen  usually  imposed  upon  the 
squaw,  yet  she  had  borne  all  her  hardships  without  a  murmur 
and  throughout  this  weary  and  painful  journey,  had  kept  pace 
with  the  best  of  the  pedestrians.  Indeed  on  various  occa 
sions  in  the  course  of  this  enterprise,  she  displayed  a  force 
of  character  that  won  the  respect  and  applause  of  the  white 
men. 

Mr.  Hunt  endeavored  to  gather  some  information  from 
these  Indians  concerning  the  country,  and  the  course  of  the 
rivers.  His  communications  with  them  had  to  be  by  signs, 
and  a  few  words  which  he  had  learnt,  and  of  course  were 
extremely  vague.  All  that  he  could  learn  from  them  was, 
that  the  great  river,  the  Columbia,  was  still  far  distant,  but  he 
could  ascertain  nothing  as  to  the  route  he  ought  to  take  to 
arrive  at  it.  For  the  two  following  days  they  continued  west 
ward  upward  of  forty  miles  along  the  little  stream,  until  they 
crossed  it  just  before  its  junction  with  Snake  river,  which 
they  found  still  running  to  the  north.  Before  them  was  a 
wintry  looking  mountain  covered  with  snow  on  all  sides. 


40  SCARCITY    OF   FOOD. 

In  three  days  more  they  made  about  seventy  miles ;  fording 
two  small  rivers,  the  waters  of  which  were  very  cold.  Pro 
visions  were  extremely  scarce ;  their  chief  sustenance  was 
portable  soup ;  a  meagre  diet  for  weary  pedestrians. 

On  the  27th  of  November  the  river  led  them  into  the  moun 
tains  through  a  rocky  defile  where  there  was  scarcely  room 
to  pass.  They  were  frequently  obliged  to  unload  the  horses 
to  get  them  by  the  narrow  places ;  and  sometimes  to  wade 
through  the  water  in  getting  round  rocks  and  butting  cliffs. 
All  their  food  this  day  was  a  beaver  which  they  had  caught 
the  night  before ;  by  evening,  the  cravings  of  hunger  were  so 
sharp,  and  the  prospect  of  any  supply  among  the  mountains 
so  faint,  that  they  had  to  kill  one  of  the  horses.  "  The  men," 
says  Mr.  Hunt,  in  his  journal,  "  find  the  meat  very  good,  and 
indeed,  so  should  I,  were  it  not  for  the  attachment  I  have  to 
the  animal." 

Early  in  the  following  day,  after  proceeding  ten  miles  to 
the  north,  they  came  to  two  lodges  of  Shoshonies :  who 
seemed  in  nearly  as  great  an  extremity  as  themselves,  having 
just  killed  two  horses  for  food.  They  had  no  other  provisions 
excepting  the  seed  of  a  weed  which  they  gather  in  great 
quantities,  and  pound  fine.  It  resembles  hemp  seed.  Mr. 
Hunt  purchased  a  bag  of  it  and  also  some  small  pieces  of 
horse  flesh  which  he  began  to  relish,  pronouncing  them  "  fat 
and  tender." 

From  these  Indians  he  received  information  that  several 
white  men  had  gone  down  the  river,  some  one  side,  and  a 
good  many  on  the  other ;  these  last  he  concluded  to  be  Mr. 
Crooks  and  his  party.  He  was  thus  released  from  much 
anxiety  about  their  safety,  especially  as  the  Indians  spoke  of 
Mr.  Crooks  having  one  of  his  dogs  yet,  which  showed  that  he 
and  his  men  had  not  been  reduced  to  extremity  of  hunger. 


TOILSOME    PROGRESS.  41 

As  Mr.  Hunt  feared  that  he  might  be  several  days  in  pass 
ing  through  this  mountain  defile,  and  run  the  risk  of  famine, 
he  encamped  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Indians,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  bartering  with  them  for  a  horse.  The  evening  was 
expended  in  ineffectual  trials.  He  offered  a  gun,  a  buffalo 
robe,  and  various  other  articles.  The  poor  fellows  had, 
probably,  like  himself,  the  fear  of  starvation  before  their  eyes. 
At  length  the  women,  learning  the  object  of  his  pressing 
solicitations,  and  tempting  offers,  set  up  such  a  terrible  hue 
and  cry,  that  he  was  fairly  howled  and  scolded  from  the 
ground. 

The  next  morning  early,  the  Indians  seemed  very  desirous 
to  get  rid  of  their  visiters,  fearing,  probably  for  the  safety 
of  their  horses.  '  In  reply  to  Mr.  Hunt's  enquiries  about  the 
mountains,  they  told  him  that  he  would  have  to  sleep  but  three 
nights  more  among  them ;  and  that  six  days  travelling  would 
take  him  to  the  falls  of  the  Columbia ;  information  in  which 
he  put  no  faith,  believing  it  was  only  given  to  induce  him  to 
set  forward.  These,  he  was  told,  were  the  last  Snakes  he 
would  meet  with,  and  that  he  would  soon  come  to  a  nation 
called  Sciatogas. 

Forward  then  did  he  proceed  on  his  tedious  journey,  which, 
at  every  step  grew  more  painful.  The  road  continued  for 
two  days,  through  narrow  defiles,  where  they  were  repeatedly 
obliged  to  unload  the  horses.  Sometimes  the  river  passed 
through  such  rocky  chasms  and  under  such  steep  precipices 
that  they  had  to  leave  it,  and  make  their  way,  with  excessive 
labor,  over  immense  hills,  almost  impassable  for  horses.  On 
some  of  these  hills  were  a  few  pine  trees,  and  their  summits 
were  covered  with  snow.  On  the  second  day  of  this  scramble 
one  of  the  hunters  killed  a  black-tailed  deer,  which  afforded 

the  half-starved  travellers  a  sumptuous  repast.    Their  progress 

4* 


42  DREARY    TRAVELLING. 

these  two  days  was  twenty-eight  miles,  a  little  to  the  north 
ward  of  east. 

The  month  of  December  set  in  drearily,  with  rain  in  the 
vallies,  and  snow  upon  the  hills.  They  had  to  climb  a  moun 
tain  with  snow  to  the  midleg,  which  increased  their  painful 
toil.  A  small  beaver  supplied  them  with  a  scanty  meal,  which 
they  eked  out  with  frozen  blackberries,  haws,  and  choke- 
cherries,  which  they  found  in  the  course  of  their  scramble. 
Their  journey  this  day,  though  excessively  fatiguing,  was  but 
thirteen  miles ;  and  all  the  next  day  they  had  to  remain  en 
camped,  not  being  able  to  see  half  a  mile  ahead,  on  account 
of  a  snow  storm.  Having  nothing  else  to  eat,  they  were  com 
pelled  to  kill  another  of  their  horses.  The  next  day  they 
resumed  their  march  in  snow  and  rain,  but  with  all  their 
efforts  could  only  get  forward  nine  miles,  having  for  a  part 
of  the  distance  to  unload  the  horses  and  carry  the  packs  them 
selves.  On  the  succeeding  morning  they  were  obliged  to 
leave  the  river,  and  scramble  up  the  hills.  From  the  summit 
of  these,  they  got  a  wide  view  of  the  surrounding  country, 
and  it  was  a  prospect  almost  sufficient  to  make  them  despair. 
In  every  direction  they  beheld  snowy  mountains,  partially 
sprinkled  with  pines  and  other  evergreens,  and  spreading  a 
desert  and  toilsome  world  around  them.  The  wind  howled 
over  the  bleak  and  wintry  landscape,  and  seemed  to  penetrate 
to  the  marrow  of  their  bones.  They  waded  on  through  the 
snow  which  at  every  step  was  more  than  knee  deep. 

After  toiling  in  this  way  all  day,  they  had  the  mortification  to 
find  that  they  were  but  four  miles  distant  from  the  encampment 
of  the  preceding  night,  such  was  the  meandering  of  the  river 
among  these  dismal  hills.  Pinched  with  famine,  exhausted 
with  fatigue,  with  evening  approaching,  and  a  wintry  wild  still 
lengthening  as  they  advanced ;  they  began  to  look  forward 


RAIN    AND    SNOW.  43 

with  sad  forebodings  to  the  night's  exposure  upon  this  frightful 
waste.  Fortunately  they  succeeded  in  reaching  a  cluster  of 
pines  about  sunset.  Their  axes  were  immediately  at  work ; 
they  cut  down  trees,  piled  them  up  in  great  heaps,  and  soon 
had  huge  fires  "  to  cheer  their  cold  and  hungry  hearts." 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  it  again  began  to  snow, 
and  at  daybreak  they  found  themselves,  as  it  were,  in  a  cloud ; 
scarcely  being  able  to  distinguish  objects  at  the  distance  of  a 
hundred  yards.  Guiding  themselves  by  the  sound  of  running 
water,  they  set  out  for  the  river,  and  by  slipping  and  sliding 
contrived  to  get  down  to  its  bank.  One  of  the  horses,  missing 
his  footing,  rolled  down  several  hundred  yards  with  his  load, 
but  sustained  no  injury.  The  weather  in  the  valley  was  less 
rigorous  than  on  the  hills.  The  snow  lay  but  ankle  deep,  and 
there  was  a  quiet  rain  now  falling.  After  creeping  along  for 
six  miles,  they  encamped  on  the  border  of  the  river.  Being 
utterly  destitute  of  provisions,  they  were  again  compelled  to 
kill  one  of  their  horses  to  appease  their  famishing  hunger. 


44  UNEXPECTED   MEETING. 


CHAPTER   V. 

AN  UNEXPECTED    MEETING NAVIGATION  IN  A  SKIN  CANOE STRANGE    FEAR8 

OF    SUFFERING   MEN HARDSHIPS    OF    MR.   CROOKS    AND    HIS    COMRADES 

TIDINGS    OF    M'liELLAN A    RETROGRADE    MARCH A    WILLOW    RAFT EX 
TREME    SUFFERING    OF  SOME    OF  THE    PARTY ILLNESS    OF    MR.  CROOKS 

IMPATIENCE  OF  SOME  OF  THE  MSN NECESSITY  OF  LEAVING  THE   LAGGARDS 

BEHIND. 

T»E  wanderers  had  now  accomplished  four  hundred  and 
seventy-two  miles  of  their  dreary  journey  since  leaving  the 
Caldron  Linn,  how  much  further  they  had  yet  to  travel,  and 
what  hardships  to  encounter,  no  one  knew. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  December,  they  left  their  dis 
mal  encampment,  but  had  scarcely  begun  their  march,  when, 
to  their  surprise,  they  beheld  a  party  of  white  men  coming  up 
along  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river.  As  they  drew  nearer, 
they  were  recognised  for  Mr.  Crooks  and  his  companions. 
When  they  came  opposite,  and  could  make  themselves  heard 
across  the  murmuring  of  the  river,  their  first  cry  was  for  food  ; 
in  fact,  they  were  almost  starved.  Mr.  Hunt  immediately  re 
turned  to  the  camp,  and  had  a  kind  of  canoe  made  out  of  the  skin 
of  the  horse,  killed  on  the  preceding  night.  This  was  done 
after  the  Indian  fashion,  by  drawing  up  the  edges  of  the  skin 
with  thongs,  and  keeping  them  distended  by  sticks  or  thwarts 
pieces.  In  this  frail  bark,  Sardepie,  one  of  the  Canadians,  car 
ried  over  a  portion  of  the  flesh  of  the  horse  to  the  famishing 
party  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  brought  back  with 


DISHEARTENING    IMPEDIMENTS.  45 

him  Mr.  Crooks,  and  the  Canadian,  Le  Clerc.  The  forlorn  and 
wasted  looks,  and  starving  condition  of  these  two  men,  struck 
dismay  to  the  hearts  of  Mr.  Hunt's  followers.  They  had  been 
accustomed  to  each  other's  appearance,  and  to  the  gradual  ope 
ration  of  hunger  and  hardship  upon  their  frames,  but  the  change 
in  the  looks  of  these  men,  since  last  they  parted,  was  a  type  of 
the  famine  and  desolation  of  the  land  ;  and  they  now  began  to 
indulge  the  horrible  presentiment  that  they  would  all  starve 
together,  or  be  reduced  to  the  direful  alternative  of  casting 
lots! 

When  Mr.  Crooks  had  appeased  his  hunger,  he  gave  Mr. 
Hunt  some  account  of  his  wayfaring.  On  the  side  of  the 
river,  along  which  he  had  kept,  he  had  met  with  but  few  In 
dians,  and  those  were  too  miserably  poor  to  yield  much  assist 
ance.  For  the  first  eighteen  days,  after  leaving  the  Caldron 
Linn,  he  and  his  men  had  been  confined  to  half  a  meal  in 
twenty-four  hours  ;  for  three  days  following,  they  had  subsisted 
on  a  single  beaver,  a  few  wild  cherries,  and  the  soles  of  old 
moccasins,  and  for  the  last  six  days,  their  only  animal  food  had 
been  the  carcass  of  a  dog.  They  had  been  three  days'  jour 
ney  further  down  the  river  than  Mr.  Hunt,  always  keeping 
as  near  to  its  banks  as  possible,  and  frequently  climbing  over 
sharp  and  rocky  ridges  that  projected  into  the  stream.  At 
length  they  had  arrived  to  where  the  mountains  increased  in 
height,  and  came  closer  to  the  river,  with  perpendicular  preci 
pices,  which  rendered  it  impossible  to  keep  along  the  stream 
The  river  here  rushed  with  incredible  velocity  through  a  defile 
not  more  than  thirty  yards  wide,  where  cascades  and  rapids 
succeeded  each  other  almost  without  intermission.  Even  had 
the  opposite  banks,  therefore,  been  such  as  to  permit  a  contin 
uance  of  their  journey,  it  would  have  been  madness  to  attempt 
to  pass  the  tumultuous  current,  either  on  rafts  or  otherwise, 


46  INSURMOUNTABLE    DIFFICULTIES. 

Still  bent,  however,  on  pushing  forward,  they  attempted  to 
climb  the  opposing  mountains ;  and  struggled  on  through  the 
snow  for  half  a  day  until,  coming  to  where  they  could  com 
mand  a  prospect,  they  found  that  they  were  not  half  way  to 
the  summit,  and  that  mountain  upon  mountain  lay  piled  beyond 
them,  in  wintry  desolation.  Famished  and  emaciated  as  they 
were,  to  continue  forward  would  be  to  perish ;  their  only 
chance  seemed  to  be  to  regain  the  river,  and  retrace  their  steps 
up  its  banks.  It  was  in  this  forlorn  and  retrograde  march  that 
they  had  met  with  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  party. 

Mr.  Crooks  also  gave  information  of  some  others  of  their 
fellow  adventurers.  He  had  spoken  several  days  previously 
with  Mr.  Reed  and  Mr.  M'Kenzie,  who  with  their  men  were 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  where  it  was  impossible  to 
get  over  to  them.  They  informed  him  that  Mr.  M'Lellan  had 
struck  across  from  the  little  river  above  the  mountains,  in  the 
hope  of  falling  in  with  some  of  the  tribe  of  Flatheads,  who 
inhabit  the  western  skirts  of  the  Rocky  range.  As  the  com 
panions  of  Reed  and  M'Kenzie  were  picked  men,  and  had 
found  provisions  more  abundant  on  their  side  of  the  river,  they 
were  in  better  condition,  and  more  fitted  to  contend  with  the 
difficulties  of  the  country,  than  those  of  Mr.  Crooks,  and 
when  he  lost  sight  of  them,  were  pushing  onward,  down  the 
course  of  the  river. 

Mr.  Hunt  took  a  night  to  revolve  over  his  critical  situation, 
and  to  determine  what  was  to  be  done.  No  time  was  to  be 
lost ;  he  had  twenty  men  and  more,  in  his  own  party,  to  pro 
vide  for,  and  Mr.  Crooks  and  his  men  to  relieve.  To  linger 
would  be  to  starve.  The  idea  of  retracing  his  steps  was  intol 
erable,  and,  notwithstanding  all  the  discouraging  accounts  of 
the  ruggedness  of  the  mountains  lower  down  the  river,  he 
would  have  been  disposed  to  attempt  them,  but  the  depth  of 


RETROGRADE    MARCH.  47 

the  snow  with  which  they  were  covered,  deterred  him ;  having 
already  experienced  the  impossibility  of  forcing  his  way  against 
such  an  impediment. 

The  only  alternative,  therefore,  appeared  to  be,  to  return  and 
seek  the  Indian  bands  scattered  along  the  small  rivers  above 
the  mountains.  Perhaps,  from  some  of  these  he  might  procure 
horses  enough  to  support  him  until  he  could  reach  the  Colum 
bia  ;  for  he  still  cherished  the  hope  of  arriving  at  that  river  in 
the  course  of  the  winter,  though  he  was  apprehensive  that  few 
of  Mr.  Crooks'  party  would  be  sufficiently  strong  to  follow  him. 
Even  in  adopting  this  course,  he  had  to  make  up  his  mind  to 
the  certainty  of  several  days  of  famine  at  the  outset,  for  it 
would  take  that  time  to  reach  the  last  Indian  lodges  from 
which  he  had  parted,  and  until  they  should  arrive  there,  his 
people  would  have  nothing  to  subsist  upon  but  haws  and  wild 
berries,  excepting  one  miserable  horse,  which  was  little  better 
than  skin  and  bone. 

After  a  night  of  sleepless  cogitation,  Mr.  Hunt  announced  to 
his  men  the  dreary  alternative  he  had  adopted,  and  prepara 
tions  were  made  to  take  Mr.  Crooks  and  Le  Clerc  across  the 
river,  with  the  remainder  of  the  meat,  as  the  other  party  were 
to  keep  up  along  the  opposite  bank.  The  skin  canoe  had 
unfortunately  been  lost  in  the  night,  a  raft  was  constructed, 
therefore,  after  the  manner  of  the  natives,  of  bundles  of  wil 
lows,  but  it  could  not  be  floated  across  the  impetuous  current. 
The  men  were  directed,  in  consequence,  to  keep  on  along 
the  river  by  themselves,  while  Mr.  Crooks  and  Le  Clerc 
would  proceed  with  Mr.  Hunt.  They  all,  then,  took  up  their 
retrograde  march  with  drooping  spirits. 

In  a  little  while,  it  was  found  that  Mr.  Crooks  and  Le  Clerc 
were  so  feeble  as  to  walk  with  difficulty,  so  that  Mr.  Hunt  was 
obliged  to  retard  his  pace,  that  they  might  keep  up  with  him. 


48  SERIOUS    DILEMMA. 

His  men  grew  impatient  at  the  delay.  They  murmured  that 
they  had  a  long  and  desolate  region  to  traverse,  before  they 
could  arrive  at  the  point  where  they  might  expect  to  find 
horses ;  that  it  was  impossible  for  Crooks  and  Le  Clerc,  in 
their  feeble  condition,  to  get  over  it ;  that  to  remain  with  them 
would  only  be  to  starve  in  their  company.  They  importuned 
Mr.  Hunt,  therefore,  to  leave  these  unfortunate  men  to  their 
fate,  and  think  only  of  the  safety  of  himself  and  his  party. 
Finding  him  not  to  be  moved,  either  by  entreaties  or  their 
clamors,  they  began  to  proceed  without  him,  singly  and  in 
parties.  Among  those  who  thus  went  off  was  Pierre  Dorion, 
the  interpreter.  Pierre  owned  the  only  remaining  horse ; 
which  was  now  a  mere  skeleton.  Mr.  Hunt  had  suggested, 
in  their  present  extremity,  that  it  should  be  killed  for  food ;  to 
which  the  half-breed  flatly  refused  his  assent,  and  cudgelling 
the  miserable  animal  forward,  pushed  on  sullenly,  with  the  air 
of  a  man  doggedly  determined  to  quarrel  for  his  right.  In  this 
way  Mr.  Hunt  saw  his  men,  one  after  another,  break  away, 
until  but  five  remained  to  bear  him  company. 

On  the  following  morning,  another  raft  was  made,  on  which 
Mr.  Crooks  and  Le  Clerc  again  attempted  to  ferry  themselves 
across  the  river,  but  after  repeated  trials,  had  to  give  up  in 
despair.  This  caused  additional  delay :  after  which,  they 
continued  to  crawl  forward  at  a  snail's  pace.  Some  of  the 
men  who  had  remained  with  Mr.  Hunt  now  became  impatient 
of  these  incumbrances,  and  urged  him,  clamorously,  to  push 
forward,  crying  out  that  they  should  all  starve.  The  night 
which  succeeded  was  intensely  cold,  so  that  one  of  the  men 
was  severely  frost-bitten.  In  the  course  of  the  night,  Mr. 
Crooks  was  taken  ill,  and  in  the  morning  was  still  more 
incompetent  to  travel.  Their  situation  was  now  desperate,  for 
their  stock  of  provisions  was  reduced  to  three  beaver  skins. 


MR.  CROOKS  AND  LE  CLERC  LEFT.          49 

Mr.  Hunt,  therefore,  resolved  to  push  on,  overtake  his  people, 
and  insist  upon  having  the  horse  of  Pierre  Dorion  sacrificed 
for  the  relief  of  all  hands.  Accordingly,  he  left  two  of  his 
men  to  help  Crooks  and  Le  Clerc  on  their  way,  giving  them 
two  of  the  beaver  skins  for  their  support ;  the  remaining  skin 
he  retained,  as  provision  for  himself  and  the  three  other  men 
who  struck  forward  with  him. 


50  ADVANCE  PARTY  OVERTAKEN. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

ME.  HUNT  OVERTAKES   THE  ADVANCED  PARTY — PIERRE  DORIOX,  AND  HIS 
SKELETON  HORSE A  SlIOSHOXIE  CAMP A  JUSTIFIABLE  OUTRAGE FEA8T- 

INO  ON  HORSE  FLESH MR.   CROOKS  BROUGHT  TO  THB  CAMP UNDERTAKES 

TO   RELIEVE    HIS    MEN THE    SKIN    FERRY    BOAT FRENZY    OF    PREV08T 

HIS  MELANCHOLY    FATE ENFEEBLED    STATE  OF    JOHN  DAY MR.   CROOKS 

AGAIN  LEFT  BEHIND THE  PARTY  EMERGE  FROM  AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS 

INTERVIEW  WITH  SHOSHONIES A  GUIDE  PROCURED  TO  CONDUCT  THE  PARTY 

ACROSS  A  MOUNTAIN FERRIAGE   ACROSS  SNAKE  RIVER REUNION   WITH 

MR.  CROOKS'  MEN — FINAL  DEPARTURE  FROM  THE  RIVER. 

ALL  that  day,  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  three  comrades  travelled  with 
out  eating.  At  night  they  made  a  tantalizing  supper  on  their 
beaver  skin,  and  were  nearly  starved  with  hunger  and  cold. 
The  next  day,  December  10th,  they  overtook  the  advance 
party,  who  were  all  as  much  famished  as  themselves,  some  of 
them  not  having  eaten  since  the  morning  of  the  seventh.  Mr. 
Hunt  now  proposed  the  sacrifice  of  Pierre  Dorion's  skeleton 
horse.  Here  he  again  met  with  positive  and  vehement  oppo 
sition  from  the  half-breed,  who  was  too  sullen  and  vindictive 
a  fellow  to  be  easily  dealt  with.  What  was  singular,  the  men, 
though  suffering  such  pinching  hunger,  interfered  in  favor  of 
the  horse.  They  represented,  that  it  was  better  to  keep  on  as 
long  as  possible  without  resorting  to  this  last  resource.  Pos 
sibly  the  Indians,  of  whom  they  were  in  quest,  might  have 
shifted  their  encampment,  in  which  case  it  would  be  time 


A   NECESSARY    OUTRAGE.  61 

enough  to  kill  the  horse  to  escape  starvation.  Mr.  Hunt, 
therefore,  was  prevailed  upon  to  grant  Pierre  Dorion's  horse  a 
reprieve. 

Fortunately,  they  had  not  proceeded  much  further,  when, 
towards  evening,  they  came  in  sight  of  a  lodge  of  Shoshonies, 
with  a  number  of  horses  grazing  around  it.  The  sight  was  as 
unexpected  as  it  was  joyous.  Having  seen  no  Indians  in  this 
neighborhood  as  they  passed  down  the  river ;  they  must  have 
subsequently  come  out  from  among  the  mountains.  Mr.  Hunt, 
who  first  descried  them,  checked  the  eagerness  of  his  compan 
ions,  knowing  the  unwillingness  of  these  Indians  to  part  with 
their  horses,  and  their  aptness  to  hurry  them  off  and  conceal 
them,  in  case  of  alarm.  This  was  no  time  to  risk  such  a  disap 
pointment.  Approaching,  therefore,  stealthily  and  silently,  they 
came  upon  the  savages  by  surprise,  who  fled  in  terror.  Five 
of  their  horses  were  eagerly  seized,  and  one  was  despatched 
upon  the  spot.  The  carcass  was  immediately  cut  up,  and  a 
part  of  it  hastily  cooked  and  ravenously  devoured.  A  man 
was  now  sent  on  horseback  with  a  supply  of  the  flesh  to  Mr. 
Crooks  and  his  companions.  He  reached  them  in  the  night : 
they  were  so  famished  that  the  supply  sent  them  seemed  but 
to  aggravate  their  hunger,  and  they  were  almost  tempted  to 
kill  and  eat  the  horse  that  had  brought  the  messenger.  Avail 
ing  themselves  of  the  assistance  of  the  animal,  they  reached 
the  camp  early  in  the  morning. 

On  arriving  there,  Mr.  Crooks  was  shocked  to  find  that, 
while  the  people  on  this  side  of  the  river,  were  amply  supplied 
with  provisions,  none  had  been  sent  to  his  own  forlorn  and 
famishing  men  on  the  opposite  bank.  He  immediately  caused 
a  skin  canoe  to  be  constructed,  and  called  out  to  his  men  to  fill 
their  camp  kettles  with  water  and  hang  them  over  the  fire, 
that  no  time  might  be  lost  in  cooking  the  meat  the  moment  it 


52  STRANGE    TERRORS. 

should  be  received.  The  river  was  so  narrow,  though  deep, 
that  every  thing  could  be  distinctly  heard  and  seen  across  it. 
The  kettles  were  placed  on  the  fire,  and  the  water  was  boiling 
by  the  time  the  canoe  was  completed.  When  all  was  ready, 
however,  no  one  would  undertake  to  ferry  the  meat  across. 
A  vague,  and  almost  superstitious,  terror  had  infected  the 
minds  of  Mr.  Hunt's  followers,  enfeebled  and  rendered  imagin 
ative  of  horrors  by  the  dismal  scenes  and  sufferings  through 
which  they  had  passed.  They  regarded  the  haggard  crew, 
hovering  like  spectres  of  famine  on  the  opposite  bank,  with 
indefinite  feelings  of  awe  and  apprehension,  as  if  something 
desperate  and  dangerous  was  to  be  feared  from  them. 

Mr.  Crooks  tried  in  vain  to  reason  or  shame  them  out  of  this 
singular  state  of  mind.  He  then  attempted  to  navigate  the 
canoe  himself,  but  found  his  strength  incompetent  to  brave  the 
impetuous  current.  The  good  feelings  of  Ben  Jones  the  Ken- 
tuckian,  at  length  overcame  his  fears,  and  he  ventured  over. 
The  supply  he  brought  was  received  with  trembling  avidity. 
A  poor  Canadian,  however,  named  Jean  Baptiste  Prevost, 
whom  famine  had  rendered  wild  and  desperate,  ran  frantically 
about  the  bank,  after  Jones  had  returned,  crying  out  to  Mr. 
Hunt  to  send  the  canoe  for  him,  and  take  him  from  that  hor 
rible  region  of  famine,  declaring  that  otherwise  he  would  never 
march  another  step,  but  would  lie  down  there  and  die. 

The  canoe  was  shortly  sent  over  again,  under  the  manage 
ment  of  Joseph  Delaunay,  with  further  supplies.  Prevost 
immediately  pressed  forward  to  embark.  Delaunay  refused  to 
admit  him,  telling  him  that  there  was  now  a  sufficient  supply 
of  meat  on  his  side  of  the  river.  He  replied  that  it  was 
not  cooked,  and  he  should  starve  before  it  was  ready;  he 
implored,  therefore,  to  be  taken  where  he  could  get  something 
to  appease  his  hunger  immediately.  Finding  the  canoe  put- 


PATE    OF   PREVOST.  53 

ting  off  without  him,  he  forced  himself  aboard.  As  he  drew 
near  the  opposite  shore,  and  beheld  meat  roasting  before  the 
fires,  he  jumped  up,  shouted,  clapped  his  hands,  and  danced 
in  a  delirium  of  joy,  until  he  upset  the  canoe.  The  poor 
wretch  was  swept  away  by  the  current  and  drowned,  and  it 
was  with  extreme  difficulty  that  Delaunay  reached  the  shore. 

Mr.  Hunt  now  sent  all  his  men  forward  excepting  two  or 
three.  In  the  evening,  he  caused  another  horse  to  be  killed, 
and  a  canoe  to  be  made  out  of  the  skin,  in  which  he  sent  over 
a  further  supply  of  meat  to  the  opposite  party.  The  canoe 
brought  back  John  Day,  the  Kentucky  hunter,  who  came  to 
join  his  former  employer  and  commander,  Mr,  Crooks.  Poor 
Day,  once  so  active  and  vigorous,  was  now  reduced  to  a  con 
dition  even  more  feeble  and  emaciated  than  his  companions. 
Mr.  Crooks  had  such  a  value  for  the  man,  on  account  of  his 
past  services  and  faithful  character,  that  he  determined  not  to 
quit  him ;  he  exhorted  Mr.  Hunt,  however,  to  proceed  forward, 
and  join  the  party,  as  his  presence  was  all  important  to  the 
conduct  of  the  expedition.  One  of  the  Canadians,  Jean  Bap- 
tiste  Dubreuil,  likewise  remained  with  Mr,  Crooks. 

Mr.  Hunt  left  two  horses  with  them,  and  a  part  of  the  car 
cass  of  the  last  that  had  been  killed.  This,  he  hoped,  would 
be  sufficient  to  sustain  them  until  they  should  reach  the  Indian 
encampment. 

One  of  the  chief  dangers  attending  the  enfeebled  condition 
of  Mr.  Crooks  and  his  companions,  was  their  being  overtaken 
by  the  Indians  whose  horses  had  been  seized :  though  Mr. 
Hunt  hoped  that  he  had  guarded  against  any  resentment  on 
the  part  of  -the  savages,  by  leaving  various  articles  in  their 
lodge,  more  than  sufficient  to  compensate  for  the  outrage  he 
had  been  compelled  to  commit. 

Resuming  his  onward  course,  Mr.  Hunt  came  up  with  his 

5* 


54  SHOSHONIES. 

people  in  the  evening.  The  next  day,  December  13th,  he 
beheld  several  Indians,  with  three  horses,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  and  after  a  time  came  to  the  two  lodges  which  he 
had  seen  on  going  down.  Here  he  endeavored  in  vain  te 
barter  a  rifle  for  a  horse,  but  again  succeeded  in  effecting  the 
purchase  with  an  old  tin  kettle,  aided  by  a  few  beads. 

The  two  succeeding  days  were  cold  and  stormy ;  the  snow 
was  augmenting,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  ice  running  in 
the  river.  Their  road,  however,  was  becoming  easier ;  they 
were  getting  out  of  the  hills,  and  finally  emerged  into  the  open 
country,  after  twenty  days  of  fatigue,  famine,  and  hardship  of 
every  kind,  in  the  ineffectual  attempt  to  find  a  passage  down 
the  river. 

They  now  encamped  on  a  little  willowed  stream,  running 
from  the  east,  which  they  had  crossed  on  the  26th  of  Novem 
ber.  Here  they  found  a  dozen  lodges  of  Shoshonies,  recently 
arrived,  who  informed  them  that  had  they  persevered  along 
the  river,  they  would  have  found  their  difficulties  augment  until 
they  became  absolutely  insurmountable.  This  intelligence 
added  to  the  anxiety  of  Mr.  Hunt  for  the  fate  of  Mr.  M'Kenzie 
and  his  people,  who  had  kept  on. 

Mr.  Hunt  now  followed  up  the  little  river,  and  encamped  at 
some  lodges  of  Shoshonies,  from  whom  he  procured  a  couple 
of  horses,  a  dog,  a  few  dried  fish,  and  some  roots  and  dried 
cherries.  Two  or  three  days  were  exhausted  in  obtaining 
information  about  the  route,  and  what  time  it  would  take  to  get 
to  the  Sciatogas,  a  hospitable  tribe,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
mountains,  represented  as  having  many  horses.  The  replies 
were  various,  but  concurred  in  saying  that  the  distance  was 
great,  and  would  occupy  from  seventeen  to  twenty-one  nights. 
Mr.  Hunt  then  tried  to  procure  a  guide  ;  but  though  he  sent  to 
various  lodges  up  and  down  the  river,  offering  articles  of  great 


A    MOUNTAIN    GUIDE.  55 

value  in  Indian  estimation,  no  one  would  venture.  The  snow 
they  said  was  waist  deep  in  the  mountains ;  and  to  all  his 
offers  they  shook  their  heads,  gave  a  shiver,  and  replied,  "  we 
shall  freeze !  we  shall  freeze !"  at  the  same  time  they  urged 
him  to  remain  and  pass  the  winter  among  them. 

Mr.  Hunt  was  in  a  dismal  dilemma.  To  attempt  the  moun 
tains  without  a  guide,  would  be  certain  death  to  him  and  all 
his  people ;  to  remain  there,  after  having  already  been  so  long 
on  the  journey,  and  at  such  great  expense,  was  worse  to  him 
he  said  than  "  two  deaths."  He  now  changed  his  tone  with 
the  Indians,  charged  them  with  deceiving  him  in  respect  to 
the  mountains,  and  talking  with  a  "  forked  tongue,"  or,  in  other 
words,  with  lying.  He  upbraided  them  with  their  want  of 
courage,  and  told  them  they  were  women,  to  shrink  from  the 
perils  of  such  a  journey.  At  length  one  of  them,  piqued  by 
his  taunts,  or  tempted  by  his  offers,  agreed  to  be  his  guide ; 
for  which  he  was  to  receive  a  gun,  a  pistol,  three  knives,  two 
horses,  and  a  little  of  every  article  in  possession  of  the  party ; 
a  reward  sufficient  to  make  him  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  his 
vagabond  nation. 

Once  more  then,  on  the  21st  of  December,  they  set  out  upon 
their  wayfaring,  with  newly  excited  spirits.  Two  other  In 
dians  accompanied  their  guide,  who  led  them  immediately 
back  to  Snake  river,  which  they  followed  down  for  a  short 
distance,  in  search  of  some  Indian  rafts  made  of  reeds,  on 
which  they  might  cross.  Finding  none,  Mr.  Hunt  caused  a 
horse  to  be  killed,  and  a  canoe  to  be  made  out  of  its  skin. 
Here,  on  the  opposite  bank,  they  saw  the  thirteen  men  of  Mr. 
Crooks'  party,  who  had  continued  up  along  the  river.  They 
told  Mr.  Hunt,  across  the  stream,  that  they  had  not  seen  Mr. 
Crooks,  and  the  two  men  who  had  remained  with  him,  since 
the  day  that  he  had  separated  from  them. 


56  CROSSING    OF    THE    RIVER. 

The  canoe  proving  too  small,  another  horse  was  killed,  and 
the  skin  of  it  joined  to  that  of  the  first.  Night  came  on  before 
the  little  bark  had  made  more  than  two  voyages.  Being  badly 
made,  it  was  taken  apart  and  put  together  again,  by  the  light 
of  the  fire.  The  night  was  cold ;  the  men  were  weary  and 
disheartened  with  such  varied  and  incessant  toil  and  hardship. 
They  crouched,  dull  and  drooping,  around  their  fires  ;  many 
of  them  began  to  express  a  wish  to  remain  where  they  were 
for  the  winter.  The  very  necessity  of  crossing  the  river  dis 
mayed  some  of  them  in  their  present  enfeebled  and  dejected 
state.  It  was  rapid  and  turbulent,  and  filled  with  floating  ice, 
and  they  remembered  that  two  of  their  comrades  had  already 
perished  in  its  waters.  Others  looked  forward  with  mis 
givings  to  the  long  and  dismal  journey  through  lonesome 
regions  that  awaited  them,  when  they  should  have  passed  this 
dreary  flood. 

At  an  early  hour  of  the  morning,  December  23d,  they  began 
to  cross  the  river.  Much  ice  had  formed  during  the  night, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  break  it  for  some  distance  on  each 
shore.  At  length  they  all  got  over  in  safety  to  the  west  side  ; 
and  their  spirits  rose  on  having  achieved  this  perilous  passage. 
Here  they  were  rejoined  by  the  people  of  Mr.  Crooks,  who 
had  with  them  a  horse  and  a  dog,  which  they  had  recently 
procured.  The  poor  fellows  were  in  the  most  squalid  and 
emaciated  state.  Three  of  them  were  so  completely  prostrated 
in  strength  and  spirits,  that  they  expressed  a  wish  to  remain 
among  the  Snakes.  Mr.  Hunt,  therefore,  gave  them  the  canoe, 
that  they  might  cross  the  river,  and  a  few  articles,  with  which 
to  procure  necessaries,  until  they  should  meet  with  Mr.  Crooks. 
There  was  another  man,  named  Michael  Carriere,  who  was 
almost  equally  reduced,  but  he  determined  to  proceed  with  his 
comrades,  who  were  now  incorporated  with  the  party  of  Mr. 


THE    LAST   NIGHT    ON    SNAKE    RIVER.  57 

Hunt.  After  the  day's  exertions  they  encamped  together  on 
the  banks  of  the  river.  This  was  the  last  night  they  were  to 
spend  upon  its  borders.  More  than  eight  hundred  miles  of 
hard  travelling,  and  many  weary  days,  had  it  cost  them ;  and 
the  sufferings  connected  with  it,  rendered,  it  hateful  in  their 
remembrance,  so  that  the  Canadian  voyageurs  always  spoke 
of  it  as  "  La  maudite  riviere  enragee" — the  accursed  mad 
river :  thus  coupling  a  malediction  with  its  name. 


58  DEPARTURE   FROM   THE   RIVER. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  SNAKE  RIVER — MOUNTAINS  TO  THE  NORTH — WAYWORN 

TRAVELLERS AN  INCREASE  OF  THE  DoRION  FAMILY A  CAMP  OF  SflO- 

BHONIE8 A  NEW  YEAR  FESTIVAL  AMONG  THE  SNAKES A  WINTRY  MARCH 

THROUGH  THE  MOUNTAINS A  SUNNY  PROSPECT,  AND  MILDER  CLIMATE 

INDIAN  HORSE  TRACKS — GRASSY  VALLEYS — A  CAMP  OF  SCIATOGAS — JOY  OF 

THE  TRAVELLERS DANGERS  OF  ABUNDANCE HABITS  OF  THE  SCIATOGAS 

— FATE  OF  CARRIERE — THE  UMATALLA — ARRIVAL  AT  THE  BANKS  OF 
THE  COLUMBIA — TIDINGS  OF  THE  SCATTERED  MEMBERS  OF  THE  EXPEDI 
TION SCENERY  ON  THE  COLUMBIA TIDINGS  OF  ASTORIA ARRIVAL  AT 

THE   FALLS. 

ON  the  24th  of  December,  all  things  being  arranged,  Mr.  Hunt 
turned  his  back  upon  the  disastrous  banks  of  Snake  river,  and 
struck  his  course  westward  for  the  mountains.  His  party, 
being  augmented  by  the  late  followers  of  Mr.  Crooks,  amounted 
now  to  thirty-two  white  men,  three  Indians,  and  the  squaw 
and  two  children  of  Pierre  Dorion.  Five  jaded,  half-starved 
horses  were  laden  with  their  luggage,  and,  in  case  of  need, 
were  to  furnish  them  with  provisions.  They  travelled  pain 
fully  about  fourteen  miles  a  day,  over  plains  and  among  hills, 
rendered  dreary  by  occasional  falls  of  snow  and  rain.  Their 
only  sustenance  was  a  scanty  meal  of  horse  flesh  once  in  four 
and  twenty  hours. 

On  the  third  day  the  poor  Canadian,  Carriere,  one  of  the 
famished  party  of  Mr.  Crooks,  gave  up  in  despair,  and  lying 
down  upon  the  ground  declared  he  could  go  no  further.  Efforts 


INCREASE  OF  THE  DORION  FAMILY.         59 

were  made  to  cheer  him  up,  but  it  was  found  that  the  poor 
fellow  was  absolutely  exhausted  and  could  not  keep  on  his 
legs.  He  was  mounted,  therefore,  upon  one  of  the  horses, 
though  the  forlorn  animal  was  in  little  better  plight  than 
himself. 

On  the  28th,  they  came  upon  a  small  stream  winding  to  the 
north,  through  a  fine  level  valley;  the  mountains  receding  on 
each  side.  Here  their  Indian  friends  pointed  out  a  chain  of 
woody  mountains  to  the  left,  running  north  and  south,  and 
covered  with  snow ;  over  which  they  would  have  to  pass. 
They  kept  along  the  valley  for  twenty-one  miles  on  the  29th, 
suffering  much  from  a  continued  fall  of  snow  and  rain,  and 
being  twice  obliged  to  ford  the  icy  stream.  Early  in  the  fol 
lowing  morning  the  squaw  of  Pierre  Dorioh,  who  had  hitherta 
kept  on  without  murmuring  or  flinching,  was  suddenly  taken 
in  labour,  and  enriched  her  husband  with  another  child.  As 
the  fortitude  and  good  conduct  of  the  poor  woman  had  gained 
for  her  the  good  will  of  the  party,  her  situation  caused  con 
cern  and  perplexity.  Pierre,  however,  treated  the  matter  as 
an  occurrence  that  could  soon  be  arranged  and  need  cause 
no  delay.  He  remained  by  his  wife  in  the  camp,  with  his 
other  children  and  his  horse,  and  promised  soon  to  rejoin  the 
main  body,  who  proceeded  on  their  march. 

Finding  that  the  little  river  entered  the  mountains,  they 
abandoned  it  and  turned  off  for  a  few  miles  among  hills.  Here 
another  Canadian,  named  La  Bonte  gave  out,  and  had  to  be 
helped  on  horseback.  As  the  horse  was  too  weak  to  bear 
both  him  and  his  pack,  Mr.  Hunt  took  the  latter  upon  his 
own  shoulders.  Thus,  with  difficulties  augmenting  at  every 
step,  they  urged  their  toilsome  way  among  the  hills  half 
famished,  and  faint  at  heart,  when  they  came  to  where  a  fair 
valley  spread  out  before  them  of  great  extent,  and  several 


60  A   GENIAL    LANDSCAPE. 

leagues  in  width,  with  a  beautiful  stream  meandering  through 
it.  A  genial  climate  seemed  to  prevail  here,  for  though  the 
snow  lay  upon  all  the  mountains  within  sight,  there  was  none 
to  be  seen  in  the  valley.  The  travellers  gazed  with  delight 
upon  this  serene  sunny  landscape,  but  their  joy  was  complete 
on  beholding  six  lodges  of  Shoshonies  pitched  upon  the  bor 
ders  of  the  stream,  with  a  number  of  horses  and  dogs  about 
them.  They  all  pressed  forward  with  eagerness  and  soon 
reached  the  camp.  Here  their  first  attention  was  to  obtain 
provisions.  A  rifle,  an  old  musket,  a  tomahawk,  a  tin  kettle, 
and  a  small  quantity  of  ammunition  soon  procured  them  four 
horses,  three  dogs,  and  some  roots.  Part  of  the  live  stock 
was  immediately  killed,  cooked  with  all  expedition,  and  as 
promptly  devoured.  A  hearty  meal  restored  every  one  to  good 
spirits.  In  the  course  of  the  following  morning  the  Dorion 
family,  made  its  re-appearance.  Pierre  came  trudging  in  the 
advance,  followed  by  his  valued,  though  skeleton  steed,  on 
which  was  mounted  his  squaw  with  the  new  born  infant  in 
her  arms,  and  her  boy  of  two  years  old,  wrapped  in  a  blanket 
and  slung  at  her  side.  The  mother  looked  as  unconcerned 
as  if  nothing  had  happened  to  her ;  so  easy  is  nature  in  her 
operations  in  the  wilderness,  when  free  from  the  enfeebling 
refinements  of  luxury,  and  the  tamperings  and  appliances 
of  art. 

The  next  morning  ushered  in  the  new  year,  (1812).  Mr. 
Hunt  was  about  to  resume  his  march,  when  his  men  requested 
permission  to  celebrate  the  day.  This  was  particularly  urged 
by  the  Canadian  voyageurs,  with  whom  new  year's  day  is  a 
favorite  festival ;  and  who  never  willingly  give  up  a  holiday, 
under  any  circumstances.  There  was  no  resisting  such  an 
application ;  so  the  day  was  passed  in  repose  and  revelry ; 
the  poor  Canadians  contrived  to  sing  and  dance  in  defiance 


SNOWY   MOUNTAINS.  61 

of  all  their  hardships  ;  and  there  was  a  sumptuous  new  year's 
banquet  of  dog's  meat  and  horse  flesh. 

After  two  days  of  welcome  rest,  the  travellers  addressed 
themselves  once  more  to  their  painful  journey.  The  Indians 
of  the  lodges  pointed  out  a  distant  gap  through  which  they 
must  pass  in  traversing  the  ridge  of  mountains.  They  assured 
them  that  they  would  be  but  little  incommoded  by  snow,  and 
in  three  days  would  arrive  among  the  Sciatogas.  Mr.  Hunt, 
however,  had  been  so  frequently  deceived  by  Indian  accounts 
of  routes  and  distances,  that  he  gave  but  little  faith  to  this 
information. 

The  travellers  continued  their  course  due  west  for  five  days, 
crossing  the  valley  and  entering  the  mountains.  Here  the 
travelling  became  excessively  toilsome,  across  rough  stony 
ridges,  and  amidst  fallen  trees.  They  were  often  knee  deep  in 
snow,  and  sometimes  in  the  hollows  between  the  ridges  sank 
up  to  their  waists.  The  weather  was  extremely  cold  ;  the  sky 
covered  with  clouds,  so  that  for  days  they  had  not  a  glimpse 
of  the  sun.  In  traversing  the  highest  ridge  they  had  a  wide 
but  chilling  prospect  over  a  wilderness  of  snowy  mountains. 

On  the  6th  of  January,  however,  they  had  crossed  the 
dividing  summit  of  the  chain,  and  were  evidently  under  the 
influence  of  a  milder  climate.  The  snow  began  to  decrease ; 
the  sun  once  more  emerged  from  the  thick  canopy  of  clouds, 
and  shone  cheeringly  upon  them,  and  they  caught  a  sight  of 
what  appeared  to  be  a  plain,  stretching  out  in  the  west.  They 
hailed  it  as  the  poor  Israelites  hailed  the  first  glimpse  of  the 
promised  land,  for  they  flattered  themselves  that  this  might  be 
the  great  plain  of  the  Columbia,  and  that  their  painful  pilgrim 
age  might  be  drawing  to  a  close. 

It  was  now  five  days  since  they  had  left  the  lodges  of  the 
Shoshonies,  during  which  they  had  come  about  sixty  miles, 

VOL.  II.  6 


62  A    SCIATOGA   CAMP. 

and  their  guide  assured  them  that  in  the  course  of  the  next 
day  they  would  see  the  Sciatogas. 

On  the  following  morning,  therefore,  they  pushed  forward 
with  eagerness,  and  soon  fell  upon  a  small  stream  which  led 
them  through  a  deep,  narrow  defile,  between  stupendous  ridges. 
Here  among  the  rocks  and  precipices  they  saw  gangs  of  that 
mountain-loving  animal,  the  black-tailed  deer,  and  came  to 
where  great  tracks  of  horses  were  to  be  seen  in  all  directions, 
made  by  the  Indian  hunters. 

The  snow  had  entirely  disappeared,  and  the  hopes  of  soon 
coming  upon  some  Indian  encampment  induced  Mr.  Hunt  to 
press  on.  Many  of  the  men,  however,  were  so  enfeebled  that 
they  could  not  keep  up  with  the  main  body,  but  lagged,  at 
intervals,  behind  ;  and  some  of  them  did  not  arrive  at  the  night 
encampment.  In  the  course  of  this  day's  march  the  recently 
born  child  of  Pierre  Dorion  died. 

The  march  was  resumed  early  the  next  morning,  without 
waiting  for  the  stragglers.  The  stream  which  they  had  fol 
lowed  throughout  the  preceding  day  was  now  swollen  by  the 
influx  of  another  river ;  the  declivities  of  the  hills  were  green 
and  the  valleys  were  clothed  with  grass.  At  length  the  jovial 
cry  was  given  of  "  an  Indian  camp !"  It  was  yet  in  the  dis 
tance,  in  the  bosom  of  the  green  valley,  but  they  could  perceive 
that  it  consisted  of  numerous  lodges,  and  that  hundreds  of 
horses  were  grazing  the  grassy  meadows  around  it.  The 
prospect  of  abundance  of  horse  flesh  diffused  universal  joy, 
for  by  this  time  the  whole  stock  of  travelling  provisions  was 
reduced  to  the  skeleton  steed  of  Pierre  Dorion,  and  another 
wretched  animal,  equally  emaciated,  that  had  been  repeatedly 
reprieved  during  the  journey. 

A  forced  march  soon  brought  the  weary  and  hungry  travel 
lers  to  the  camp.  It  proved  to  be  a  strong  party  of  Sciatogas 


COMFORTABLE    QUARTERS.  63 

and  Tus-che-pas.  There  were  thirty-four  lodges,  comfortably 
constructed  of  mats ;  the  Indians,  too,  were  better  clothed 
than  any  of  the  wandering  bands  they  had  hitherto  met  on 
this  side  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  Indeed  they  were  as  well 
clad  as  the  generality  of  the  wild  hunter  tribes.  Each  had 
a  good  buffalo  or  deer  skin  robe ;  and  a  deer  skin  hunting 
shirt  and  leggins.  Upwards  of  two  thousand  horses  were 
ranging  the  pastures  around  their  encampment ;  but  what  de 
lighted  Mr.  Hunt  was,  on  entering  the  lodges,  to  behold  brass 
kettles,  axes,  copper  tea  kettles,  and  various  other  articles 
of  civilized  manufacture,  which  showed  that  these  Indians  had 
an  indirect  communication  with  the  people  of  the  sea-coast 
who  traded  with  the  whites.  He  made  eager  enquiries  of  the 
Sciatogas,  and  gathered  from  them  that  the  great  river  (the 
Columbia,)  was  but  two  day's  march  distant,  and  that  several 
white  people  had  recently  descended  it ;  who  he  hoped  might 
prove  to  be  M'Lellan,  M'Kenzie  and  their  companions. 

It  was  with  the  utmost  joy  and  the  most  profound  gratitude 
to  heaven,  that  Mr.  Hunt  found  himself  and  his  band  of  weary 
and  famishing  wanderers,  thus  safely  extricated  from  the  most 
perilous  part  of  their  long  journey,  and  within  the  prospect 
of  a  termination  of  their  toils.  All  the  stragglers  who  had 
lagged  behind  arrived,  one  after  another,  excepting  the  poor 
Canadian  voyageur,  Carriere.  He  had  been  seen  late  in  the 
preceding  afternoon,  riding  behind  a  Snake  Indian,  near  some 
lodges  of  that  nation,  a  few  miles  distant  from  the  last  night's 
encampment ;  and  it  was  expected  that  he  would  soon  make 
his  appearance. 

The  first  object  of  Mr.  Hunt  was  to  obtain  provisions  for 
his  men.  A  little  venison  of  an  indifferent  quality  and  some 
roots  were  all  that  could  be  procured  that  evening ;  but  the 
next  day  he  succeeded  in  purchasing  a  mare  and  colt,  which 


64  PROVIDENT   INDIANS. 

were  immediately  killed,  and  the  cravings  of  the  half-starved 
people  in  some  degree  appeased. 

For  several  days  they  remained  in  the  neighborhood  of  these 
Indians,  reposing  after  all  their  hardships,  and  feasting  upon 
horse  flesh  and  roots,  obtained  in  subsequent  traffic.  Many 
of  the  people  ate  to  such  excess  as  to  render  themselves  sick, 
others  were  lame  from  their  past  journey ;  but  all  gradually 
recruited  in  the  repose  and  abundance  of  the  valley.  Horses 
were  obtained  here  much  more  readily,  and  at  a  cheaper  rate, 
than  among  the  Snakes.  A  blanket,  a  knife,  or  a  half  pound 
of  blue  beads  would  purchase  a  steed,  and  at  this  rate  many 
of  the  men  bought  horses  for  their  individual  use. 

This  tribe  of  Indians,  who  are  represented  as  a  proud 
spirited  race,  and  uncommonly  cleanly,  never  eat  horses  nor 
dogs,  nor  would  they  permit  the  raw  flesh  of  either  to  be 
brought  into  their  huts.  They  had  a  small  quantity  of  venison 
in  each  lodge,  but  set  so  high  a  price  upon  it  that  the  white 
men,  in  their  impoverished  state,  could  not  afford  to  purchase  it. 
They  hunted  the  deer  on  horseback ;  "  ringing,"  or  surround 
ing  them,  and  running  them  down  in  a  circle.  They  were 
admirable  horsemen,  and  their  weapons  were  bows  and  ar 
rows,  which  they  managed  with  great  dexterity.  They  were 
altogether  primitive  in  their  habits,  and  seemed  to  cling  to  the 
usages  of  savage  life,  even  when  possessed  of  the  aids  of 
civilization.  They  had  axes  among  them,  yet  they  generally 
made  use  of  a  stone  mallet  wrought  into  the  shape  of  a  bottle, 
and  wedges  of  elk  horn,  in  splitting  their  wood.  Though 
they  might  have  two  or  three  brass  kettles  hanging  in  their 
lodges,  yet  they  would  frequently  use  vessels  made  of  willow, 
for  carrying  water,  and  would  even  boil  their  meat  in  them, 
by  means  of  hot  stones.  Their  women  wore  caps  of  willow 
neatly  worked  and  figured. 


RIVER   UMATALLA.  65 

As  Carriere,  the  Canadian  straggler  did  not  make  his  ap 
pearance  for  two  or  three  days  after  the  encampment  in  the 
valley,  two  men  were  sent  out  on  horseback  in  search  of  him. 
They  returned,  however,  without  success.  The  lodges  of  the 
Snake  Indians  near  which  he  had  been  seen,  were  removed, 
and  they  could  find  no  trace  of  him.  Several  days  more 
elapsed,  yet  nothing  was  seen  or  heard  of  him,  or  of  the 
Snake  horseman,  behind  whom  he  had  been  last  observed. 
It  was  feared,  therefore,  that  he  had  either  perished  through 
hunger  and  fatigue ;  had  been  murdered  by  the  Indians ;  or, 
being  left  to  himself,  had  mistaken  some  hunting  tracks  for 
the  trail  of  the  party,  and  been  led  astray  and  lost. 

The  river  on  the  banks  of  which  they  were  encamped, 
emptied  into  the  Columbia,  was  called  by  the  natives  the 
Eu-o-tal-la,  or  Umatalla,  and  abounded  with  beaver.  In  the 
course  of  their  sojourn  in  the  valley  which  it  watered,  they 
twice  shifted  their  camp,  proceeding  about  thirty  miles  down 
its  course,  which  was  to  the  west.  A  heavy  fall  of  rain 
caused  the  river  to  overflow  its  banks,  dislodged  them  from 
their  encampment,  and  drowned  three  of  their  horses,  which 
were  tethered  in  the  low  ground. 

Further  conversation  with  the  Indians  satisfied  them  that 
they  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Columbia.  The  number 
of  the  white  men  who  they  said  had  passed  down  the  river, 
agreed  with  that  of  M'Lellan,  M'Kenzie  and  their  companions, 
and  increased  the  hope  of  Mr.  Hunt  that  they  might  have 
passed  through  the  wilderness  with  safety. 

These  Indians  had  a  vague  story  that  white  men  were 
coming  to  trade  among  them ;  and  they  often  spoke  of  two 
great  men  named  Ke-Koosh  and  Jacquean,  who  gave  them 
tobacco,  and  smoked  with  them.  Jacquean,  they  said,  had  a 

house  somewhere  upon  the  great  river.     Some  of  the  Cana- 

6* 


66  COLUMBIA   RIVER. 

dians  supposed  they  were  speaking  of  one  Jacquean  Finlay 
a  clerk  of  the  North-west  Company,  and  inferred  that  the 
house  must  be  some  trading  post  on  one  of  the  tributary 
streams  of  the  Columbia.  The  Indians  were  overjoyed  when 
they  found  this  band  of  white  men  intended  to  return  and 
trade  with  them.  They  promised  to  use  all  diligence  in 
collecting  quantities  of  beaver  skins,  and  no  doubt  proceeded 
to  make  deadly  war  upon  that  sagacious,  but  ill-fated  animal, 
who,  in  general,  lived  in  peaceful  insignificance  among  his 
Indian  neighbors,  before  the  intrusion  of  the  white  trader. 
On  the  20th  of  January,  Mr.  Hunt  took  leave  of  these  friendly 
Indians,  and  of  the  river  on  which  they  were  encamped,  and 
continued  westward. 

At  length,  on  the  following  day,  the  wayworn  travellers 
lifted  up  their  eyes  and  beheld  before  them  the  long-sought 
waters  of  the  Columbia.  The  sight  was  hailed  with  as  much 
transport  as  if  they  had  already  reached  the  end  of  their 
pilgrimage ;  nor  can'we  wonder  at  their  joy.  Two  hundred 
and  forty  miles  had  they  marched,  through  wintry  wastes  and 
rugged  mountains,  since  leaving  Snake  river ;  and  six  months 
of  perilous  wayfaring  had  they  experienced  since  their  de 
parture  from  the  Arickara  village  on  the  Missouri.  Their 
whole  route  by  land  and  water  from  that  point,  had  been, 
according  to  their  computation,  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty- 
one  miles,  in  the  course  of  which  they  had  endured  all  kinds 
of  hardships.  In  fact,  the  necessity  of  winding  the  dangerous 
country  of  the  Blackfeet,  had  obliged  them  to  make  a  bend 
to  the  south,  and  to  traverse  a  great  additional  extent  of  un 
known  wilderness. 

The  place  where  they  struck  the  Columbia  was  some  dis 
tance  below  the  junction  of  its  two  great  branches,  Lewis, 
and  Clarke  rivers,  and  not  far  from  the  influx  of  the  Wallah- 


CROSS    THE    COLUMBIA.  67 

Wallah.  It  was  a  beautiful  stream,  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
wide,  totally  free  from  trees ;  bordered  in  some  places  with 
steep  rocks,  in  others  with  pebbled  shores. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Columbia  they  found  a  miserable  horde 
of  Indians,  called  Akai-chies,  with  no  clothing  but  a  scanty 
mantle  of  the  skins  of  animals,  and  sometimes  a  pair  of  sleeves 
of  wolf's  skin.  Their  lodges  were  shaped  like  a  tent,  and 
very  light  and  warm,  being  covered  with  mats  of  rushes ; 
beside  which  they  had  excavations  on  the  ground,  lined  with 
mats,  and  occupied  by  the  women,  who  were  even  more  slightly 
clad  than  the  men.  These  people  subsisted  chiefly  by  fishing ; 
having  canoes  of  a  rude  construction,  being  merely  the  trunks 
of  pine  trees  split  and  hollowed  out  by  fire.  Their  lodges 
were  well  stored  with  dried  salmon,  and  they  had  great  quan 
tities  of  fresh  salmon  trout,  of  an  excellent  flavor,  taken  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Umatalla ;  of  which  the  travellers  obtained 
a  most  acceptable  supply. 

Finding  that  the  road  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  river, 
Mr.  Hunt  crossed,  and  continued  five  or  six  days  travelling 
rather  slowly  down  along  its  banks,  being  much  delayed  by 
the  straying  of  the  horses,  and  the  attempts  made  by  the 
Indians  to  steal  them.  They  frequently  passed  lodges,  where 
they  obtained  fish  and  dogs.  At  one  place  the  natives  had 
just  returned  from  hunting,  and  had  brought  back  a  large 
quantity  of  elk  and  deer  meat,  but  asked  so  high  a  price  for  it 
as  to  be  beyond  the  funds  of  the  travellers,  so  they  had  to  con 
tent  themselves  with  dog  flesh.  They  had  by  this  time,  how 
ever,  come  to  consider  it  very  choice  food,  superior  to  horse 
flesh,  and  the  minutes  of  the  expedition  speak  rather  exultingly 
now  and  then,  of  their  having  made  a  "  famous  repast,"  where 
this  viand  happened  to  be  unusually  plenty. 


68  TRAVEL  ALONG  THE  COLUMBIA. 

They  again  learnt  tidings  of  some  of  the  scattered  members 
of  the  expedition,  supposed  to  be  M'Kenzie,  M'Lellan  and 
their  men,  who  had  preceded  them  down  the  river,  and  had 
overturned  one  of  their  canoes,  by  which  they  lost  many 
articles.  All  these  floating  pieces  of  intelligence  of  their 
fellow  adventurers,  who  had  separated  from  them  in  the  heart 
of  the  wilderness,  they  received  with  eager  interest. 

The  weather  continued  to  be  temperate,  marking  the  supe 
rior  softness  of  the  climate  on  this  side  of  the  mountains. 
For  a  great  part  of  the  time,  the  days  were  delightfully  mild 
and  clear,  like  the  serene  days  of  October,  on  the  Atlantic 
borders.  '  The  country  in  general,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
river,  was  a  continual  plain,  low,  near  the  water,  but  rising 
gradually ;  destitute  of  trees,  and  almost  without  shrubs  or 
plants  of  any  kind,  excepting  a  few  willow  bushes.  After 
travelling  about  sixty  miles,  they  came  to  where  the  country 
became  very  hilly  and  the  river  made  its  way  between  rocky 
banks,  and  down  numerous  rapids.  The  Indians  in  this 
vicinity  were  better  clad  and  altogether  in  more  prosperous 
condition  than  those  above,  and,  as  Mr.  Hunt  thought,  showed 
their  consciousness  of  ease  by  something  like  sauciness  of 
manner.  Thus  prosperity  is  apt  to  produce  arrogance  in  sav 
age  as  well  as  in  civilized  life.  In  both  conditions,  man  is 
an  animal  that  will  not  bear  pampering. 

From  these  people  Mr.  Hunt  for  the  first  time  received 
vague,  but  deeply  interesting  intelligence  of  that  part  of  the 
enterprise  which  had  proceeded  by  sea  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia.  The  Indians  spoke  of  a  number  of  white  men 
who  had  built  a  large  house  at  the  mouth  of  the  great  river, 
and  surrounded  it  with  palisades.  None  of  them  had  been 
down  to  Astoria  themselves ;  but  rumors  spread  widely  and 


THE  FALLS  OF  THE  COLUMBIA.  69 

rapidly  from  mouth  to  mouth  among  the  Indian  tribes,  and  are 
carried  to  the  heart  of  the  interior,  by  hunting  parties,  and 
migratory  hordes. 

The  establishment  of  a  trading  emporium  at  such  a  point, 
also,  was  calculated  to  cause  a  sensation  to  the  most  remote 
parts  of  the  vast  wilderness  beyond  the  mountains.  It,  in  a 
manner,  struck  the  pulse  of  the  great  vital  rivei,  and  vibrated 
up  all  its  tributary  streams. 

It  is  surprising  to  notice  how  well  this  remote  tribe  of 
savages  had  learnt  through  intermediate  gossips,  the  private 
feelings  of  the  colonists  at  Astoria ;  it  shows  that  Indians  are 
not  the  incurious  and  indifferent  observers  that  they  have  been 
represented.  They  told  Mr.  Hunt  that  the  white  people  at 
the  large  house  had  been  looking  anxiously  for  many  of  their 
friends,  whom  they  had  expected  to  descend  the  great  river ; 
and  had  been  in  much  affliction,  fearing  that  they  were  lost. 
Now,  however,  the  arrival  of  him  and  his  party  would  wipe 
away  all  their  tears  and  they  would  dance  and  sing  for  joy. 

On  the  31st  of  January,  Mr.  Hunt  arrived  at  the  falls  of  the 
Columbia,  and  encamped  at  the  village  of  Wish-ram,  situated 
at  the  head  of  that  dangerous  pass  of  the  river  called  "  the 
long  narrows." 


70  INDIAN    VILLAGE. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE  VILLAGE  OF  WISH-RAM — ROGUERY  OF  THE  INHABITANTS — THEIR  HABIT 
ATIONS — TIDINGS  OF  ASTORIA — OF  THE    TONQUIN  MASSACRE — THIEVES 

ABOUT  TRE   CAMP A  BAND  OF  BRAGGARTS EMBARCATION ARRIVAL  AT 

ASTORIA — A  JOYFUL  RECEPTION — OLD  COMRADES — ADVENTURES  OF  REED, 
M'LELLAN,  AND  M'KENZIE,  AMONG  THE  SNAKE  RIVER  MOUNTAINS — RE 
JOICING  AT  ASTORIA. 

OF  the  village  of  Wish-ram,  the  aborigines'  fishing  mart  of  the 
Columbia,  we  have  given  some  account  in  an  early  chapter  of 
this  work.  The  inhabitants  held  a  traffic  in  the  productions  of 
the  fisheries  of  the  falls,  and  their  village  was  the  trading 
resort  of  the  tribes  from  the  coast  and  from  the  mountains. 
Mr.  Hunt  found  the  inhabitants  shrewder  and  more  intelligent 
than  any  Indians  he  had  met  with.  Trade  had  sharpened 
their  wits,  though  it  had  not  improved  their  honesty  ;  for  they 
were  a  community  of  arrant  rogues  and  freebooters.  Their 
habitations  comported  with  their  circumstances,  and  were 
superior  to  any  the  travellers  had  yet  seen  west  of  the  Rocky 
mountains.  In  general,  the  dwellings  of  the  savages  on  the 
Pacific  side  of  that  great  barrier,  were  mere  tents  and  cabins 
of  mats,  or  skins,  or  straw,  the  country  being  destitute  of  tim 
ber.  In  Wish-ram,  on  the  contrary,  the  houses  were  built  of 
wood,  with  long  sloping  roofs.  The  floor  was  sunk  about  six 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  with  a  low  door  at  the 
gabel  end,  extremely  narrow  and  partly  sunk.  Through  this 


DEPRESSING    INTELLIGENCE.  71 

it  was  necessary  to  crawl,  and  then  to  descend  a  short  ladder. 
This  inconvenient  entrance  was  probably  for  the  purpose  of 
defence ;  there  were  loop  holes  also  under  the  eaves,  appa 
rently  for  the  discharge  of  arrows.  The  houses  were  larger, 
generally  containing  two  or  three  families.  Immediately 
within  the  door  were  sleeping  places,  ranged  along  the  walls, 
like  berths  in  a  ship ;  and  furnished  with  pallets  of  matting. 
These  extended  along  one  half  of  the  building ;  the  remaining 
half  was  appropriated  to  the  storing  of  dried  fish. 

The  trading  operations  of  the  inhabitants  of  Wish-ram  had 
given  them  a  wider  scope  of  information,  and  rendered  their 
village  a  kind  of  head  quarters  of  intelligence.  Mr.  Hunt  was 
able,  therefore,  to  collect  more  distinct  tidings  concerning  the 
settlement  of  Astoria  and  its  affairs.  One  of  the  inhabitants 
had  been  at  the  trading  post  established  by  David  Stuart  on 
the  Oakinagan,  and  had  picked  up  a  few  words  of  English 
there.  From  him,  Mr.  Hunt  gleaned  various  particulars  about 
that  establishment,  as  well  as  about  the  general  concerns  of 
the  enterprise.  Others  repeated  the  name  of  Mr.  M'Kay,  the 
partner  who  perished  in  the  massacre  on  board  of  the  Tonquin, 
and  gave  some  account  of  that  melancholy  affair.  They  said, 
Mr.  M'Kay  was  a  chief  among  the  white  men,  and  had  built  a 
great  house  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  but  had  left  it,  and  sailed 
away  in  a  large  ship  to  the  northward,  where  he  had  been 
attacked  by  bad  Indians  in  canoes.  Mr.  Hunt  was  startled  by 
this  intelligence,  and  made  further  inquiries.  They  informed 
him  that  the  Indians  had  lashed  their  canoes  to  the  ship,  and 
fought  until  they  killed  him  and  all  his  people.  This  is  an 
other  instance  of  the  clearness  with  which  intelligence  is 
transmitted  from  mouth  to  mouth  among  the  Indian  tribes. 
These  tidings,  though  but  partially  credited  by  Mr.  Hunt,  filled 
his  mind  with  anxious  forebodings.  He  now  endeavored  to 


72  INDIAN    STRATAGEM. 

procure  canoes,  in  which  to  descend  the  Columbia,  but  none 
suitable  for  the  purpose  were  to  be  obtained  above  the  nar 
rows  ;  he  continued  on,  therefore,  the  distance  of  twelve  miles, 
and  encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  camp  was  soon 
surrounded  by  loitering  savages,  who  went  prowling  about, 
seeking  what  they  might  pilfer.  Being  baffled  by  the  vigilance 
of  the  guard,  they  endeavored  to  compass  their  ends  by  other 
means.  Towards  evening,  a  number  of  warriors  entered  the 
camp  in  ruffling  style ;  painted  and  dressed  out  as  if  for  battle, 
and  armed  with  lances,  bows  and  arrows,  and  scalping  knives. 
They  informed  Mr.  Hunt  that  a  party  of  thirty  or  forty  braves 
were  coming  up  from  a  village  below  to  attack  the  camp  and 
carry  off  the  horses,  but  that  they  were  determined  to  stay 
with  him,  and  defend  him.  Mr.  Hunt  received  them  with 
great  coldness,  and,  when  they  had  finished  their  story,  gave 
them  a  pipe  to  smoke.  He  then  called  up  all  hands,  stationed 
sentinels  in  different  quarters,  but  told  them  to  keep  as  vigilant 
an  eye  within  the  camp  as  without. 

The  warriors  were  evidently  baffled  by  these  precautions, 
and,  having  smoked  their  pipe,  and  vapored  off  their  valor, 
took  their  departure.  The  farce,  however,  did  not  end  here. 
After  a  little  while,  the  warriors  returned,  ushering  in  another 
savage,  still  more  heroically  arrayed.  This  they  announced 
as  the  chief  of  the  belligerent  village,  but  as  a  great  pacificator. 
His  people  had  been  furiously  bent  upon  the  attack,  and  would 
have  doubtless  carried  it  into  effect,  but  this  gallant  chief  had 
stood  forth  as  the  friend  of  white  men,  and  had  dispersed  the 
throng  by  his  own  authority  and  prowess.  Having  vaunted 
this  signal  piece  of  service,  there  was  a  significant  pause  ;  all 
evidently  expecting  some  adequate  reward.  Mr.  Hunt  again 
produced  the  pipe,  smoked  with  the  chieftain  and  his  worthy 
compeers ;  but  made  no  further  demonstrations  of  gratitude. 


DESCEND    THE    COLUMBIA.  73 

They  remained  about  the  camp  all  night,  but  at  daylight 
returned,  baffled  and  crest-fallen,  to  their  homes,  with  nothing 
but  smoke  for  their  pains. 

Mr.  Hunt  now  endeavored  to  procure  canoes,  of  which  he 
saw  several  about  the  neighborhood,  extremely  well  made, 
with  elevated  stems  and  sterns,  some  of  them  capable  of  car 
rying  three  thousand  pounds  weight.  He  found  it  extremely 
difficult,  however,  to  deal  with  these  slippery  people,  who 
seemed  much  more  inclined  to  pilfer.  Notwithstanding  a  strict 
guard  maintained  round  the  camp,  various  implements  were 
stolen,  and  several  horses  carried  off.  Among  the  latter,  we 
have  to  include  the  long  cherished  steed  of  Pierre  Dorion. 
From  some  wilful  caprice,  that  worthy  pitched  his  tent  at  some 
distance  from  the  main  body,  and  tethered  his  invaluable  steed 
beside  it,  from  whence  it  was  abstracted  in  the  night,  to  the 
infinite  chagrin  and  mortification  of  the  hybrid  interpreter. 

Having,  after  several  days'  negociation,  procured  the  requi 
site  number  of  canoes,  Mr.  Hunt  would  gladly  have  left  this 
thievish  neighborhood,  but  was  detained  until  the  5th  of  Feb 
ruary,  by  violent  head  winds,  accompanied  by  snow  and  rain. 
Even  after  he  was  enabled  to  get  under  way,  he  had  still 
to  struggle  against  contrary  winds  and  tempestuous  weather. 
The  current  of  the  river,  however,  was  in  his  favor  ;  having 
made  a  portage  at  the  grand  rapid,  the  canoes  met  with  no 
further  obstruction,  and,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  of  Feb 
ruary,  swept  round  an  intervening  cape,  and  came  in  sight  of 
the  infant  settlement  of  Astoria.  After  eleven  months  wan 
dering  in  the  wilderness,  a  great  part  of  the  time  over  trackless 
wastes,  where  the  sight  of  a  savage  wigwam  was  a  rarity,  we 
may  imagine  the  delight  of  the  poor  weatherbeaten  travellers, 
at  beholding  the  embryo  establishment,  with  its  magazines, 

habitations,  and  picketed  bulwarks,  seated  on  a  high  point  of 

7 


74  ARRIVE    AT   ASTORIA. 

land,  dominating  a  beautiful  little  bay,  in  which  was  a  trim- 
built  shallop  riding  quietly  at  anchor.  A  shout  of  joy  burst 
from  each  canoe  at  the  long  wished  for  sight.  They  urged 
their  canoes  across  the  bay,  and  pulled  with  eagerness  for 
shore,  where  all  hands  poured  down  from  the  settlement  to 
receive  and  welcome  them.  Among  the  first  to  greet  them 
on  their  landing,  were  some  of  their  old  comrades  and  fellow- 
sufferers,  who,  under  the  conduct  of  Reed,  M'Lellan,  and 
M'Kenzie,  had  parted  from  them  at  the  Caldron  Linn.  These 
had  reached  Astoria  nearly  a  month  previously,  and,  judging 
from  their  own  narrow  escape  from  starvation,  had  given  up 
Mr.  Hunt  and  his  followers  as  Jost.  Their  greeting  was  the 
more  warm  and  cordial.  As  to  the  Canadian  voyageurs?  their 
mutual  felicitations,  as  usual,  were  loud  and  vociferous,  and  it 
was  almost  ludicrous  to  behold  these  ancient  "  comrades"  and 
"  confreres,"  hugging  and  kissing  each  other  on  the  river 
bank. 

When  the  first  greetings  were  over,  the  different  bands 
interchanged  accounts  of  their  several  wanderings,  after  sepa 
rating  at  Snake  river ;  we  shall  briefly  notice  a  few  of  the 
leading  particulars.  It  will  be  recollected  by  the  reader,  that 
a  small  exploring  detachment  had  proceeded  down  the  river, 
under  the  conduct  of  Mr.  John  Reed,  a  clerk  of  the  company : 
that  another  had  set  off  under  M'Lellan,  and  a  third  in  a  dif 
ferent  direction,  under  M'Kenzie.  After  wandering  for  several 
days  without  meeting  with  Indians,  or  obtaining  any  supplies, 
they  came  together  fortuitously  among  the  Snake  river  moun 
tains,  some  distance  below  that  disastrous  pass  or  strait,  which 
had  received  the  appellation  of  the  Devil's  Scuttle  Hole. 

When  thus  united,  their  party  consisted  of  M'Kenzie,  M'Lel 
lan,  Reed,  and  eight  men,  chiefly  Canadians.  Being  all  in 
the  same  predicament,  without  horses,  provisions,  or  informa- 


ADVENTURES.  75 

tion  of  any  kind,  they  all  agreed  that  it  would  be  worse  than 
useless  to  return  to  Mr.  Hunt  and  encumber  him  with  so  many 
starving  men,  and  that  their  only  course  was  to  extricate  them 
selves  as  soon  as  possible  from  this  land  of  famine  and  misery, 
and  make  the  best  of  their  way  for  the  Columbia.  They  ac 
cordingly  continued  to  follow  the  downward  course  of  Snake 
river;  clambering  rocks  and  mountains,  and  defying  all  the 
difficulties  and  dangers  of  that  rugged  defile,  which  subse 
quently,  when  the  snows  had  fallen,  was  found  impassable  by 
Messrs.  Hunt  and  Crooks. 

Though  constantly  near  to  the  borders  of  the  river,  and  for 
a  great  part  of  the  time  within  sight  of  its  current,  one  of 
their  greatest  sufferings  was  thirst.  The  river  had  worn  its 
way  in  a  deep  channel  through  rocky  mountains,  destitute  of 
brooks  or  springs.  Its  banks  were  so  high  and  precipitous, 
that  there  was  rarely  any  place  where  the  travellers  could  get 
down  to  drink  of  its  waters.  Frequently  they  suffered  for 
miles  the  torments  of  Tantalus  ;  water  continually  within  sight, 
yet  fevered  with  the  most  parching  thirst.  Here  and  there 
they  met  with  rain  water  collected  in  the  hollows  of  the  rocks, 
but  more  than  once  they  were  reduced  to  the  utmost  extremity ; 
and  some  of  the  men  had  recourse  to  the  last  expedient  to 
avoid  perishing. 

Their  sufferings  from  hunger  were  equally  severe.  They 
could  meet  with  no  game,  and  subsisted  for  a  time  on  strips  of 
beaver  skin,  broiled  on  the  coals.  These  were  doled  out  in 
scanty  allowances,  barely  sufficient  to  keep  up  existence,  and 
at  length  failed  them  altogether.  Still  they  crept  feebly  on, 
scarce  dragging  one  limb  after  another,  until  a  severe  snow 
storm  brought  them  to  a  pause.  To  struggle  against  it,  in 
their  exhausted  condition,  was  impossible,  so  cowering  under 
an  impending  rock  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  mountain,  they 


76  SEASONABLE    SUPPLY. 

prepared  themselves  for  that  wretched  fate  which  seemed 
inevitable. 

At  this  critical  juncture,  when  famine  stared  them  in  the 
face,  M'Lellan  casting  up  his  eyes,  beheld  an  ahsahta,  or  big 
horn,  sheltering  itself  under  a  shelving  rock  on  the  side  of  the 
hill  above  them.  Being  in  more  active  plight  than  any  of  his 
comrades,  and  an  excellent  marksman,  he  set  off  to  get  within 
shot  of  the  animal.  His  companions  watched  his  movements 
with  breathless  anxiety,  for  their  lives  depended  upon  his 
success.  He  made  a  cautious  circuit ;  scrambled  up  the  hill 
with  the  utmost  silence,  and  at  length  arrived,  unperceived, 
within  a  proper  distance.  Here  levelling  his  rifle  he  took  so 
sure  an  aim,  that  the  bighorn  fell  dead  on  the  spot ;  a  fortu 
nate  circumstance,  for,  to  pursue  it,  if  merely  wounded,  would 
have  been  impossible  in  his  emaciated  state.  The  declivity 
of  the  hill  e,nabled  him  to  roll  the  carcass  down  to  his  com 
panions,  who  were  too  feeble  to  climb  the  rocks.  They  fell 
to  work  to  cut  it  up  ;  yet  exerted  a  remarkable  self-denial  for 
men  in  their  starving  condition,  for  they  contented  themselves 
for  the  present  with  a  soup  made  from  the  bones,  reserving  the 
flesh  for  future  repasts.  This  providential  relief  gave  them 
strength  to  pursue  their  journey,  but  they  were  frequently 
reduced  to  almost  equal  straits,  and  it  was  only  the  smallness 
of  their  party,  requiring  a  small  supply  of  provisions,  that 
enabled  them  to  get  through  this  desolate  region  with  their 
lives. 

At  length,  after  twenty-one  days  of  toil  and  suffering,  they 
got  through  these  mountains,  and  arrived  at  a  tributary  stream 
of  that  branch  of  the  Columbia  called  Lewis  river,  of  which 
Snake  river  forms  the  southern  fork.  In  this  neighborhood 
they  met  with  wild  horses,  the  first  they  had  seen  west  of  the 
Rocky  mountains.  From  hence  they  made  their  way  to  Lewis 


FESTIVAL    AT    ASTORIA.  .  77 

river,  where  they  fell  in  with  a  friendly  tribe  of  Indians,  who 
freely  administered  to  their  necessities.  On  this  river  they 
procured  two  canoes,  in  which  they  dropped  down  the  stream 
to  its  confluence  with  the  Columbia,  and  then  down  that  river 
to  Astoria,  where  they  arrived  haggard  and  emaciated,  and 
perfectly  in  rags. 

Thus,  all  the  leading  persons  of  Mr.  Hunt's  expedition  were 
once  more  gathered  together,  excepting  Mr.  Crooks,  of  whose 
safety  they  entertained  but  little  hope,  considering  the  feeble 
condition  in  which  they  had  been  compelled  to  leave  him  in 
the  heart  of  the  wilderness. 

A  day  was  now  given  up  to  jubilee,  to  celebrate  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  companions,  and  the  joyful  meeting  of  the 
various  scattered  bands  of  adventurers  at  Astoria.  The  colors 
were  hoisted;  the  guns,  great  and  small,  were 'fired;  there 
was  a  feast  of  fish,  of  beaver,  and  venison,  which  relished 
well  with  men  who  had  so  long  been  glad  to  revel  on  horse 
flesh  and  dogs'  meat ;  a  genial  allowance  of  grog  was  issued, 
to  increase  the  general  animation,  and  the  festivities  wound 
up,  as  usual,  with  a  grand  dance  at  night,  by  the  Canadian 
voyageurs.* 

*  The  distance  from  St.  Louis  to  Astoria,  by  the  route  travelled  by  Hunt 
and  M'Kenzie,  was  upwards  of  thirty-five  hundred  miles,  though  in  a  direct 
line,  it  does  not  exceed  eighteen  hundred. 


78  WINTER  FARE  AT  ASTORIA. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

SCANTY  PARK  DURING  THE  WINTER — A  POOR  HUNTING  GROUND— THE  RETURN 

OF  THE  FISHING  SEASON THE  UTHLECAN  OR  SMELT ITS  QUALITIES VAST 

SHOALS  OP  IT STURGEON INDIAN  MODES  OF  TAKING  IT THE  SALMON 

DIFFERENT  SPECIES NATURE  OP  THE  COUNTRY  ABOUT  THE  COAST FOR 
ESTS  AND  FOREST  TREES A  REMARKABLE  FLOWERfNG  VINE ANIMALS 

BIRDS REPTILES CLIMATE  WEST  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS MILDNESS  OP  THE 

TEMPERATURE SOIL  OF  THE  COAST  AND  THE  INTERIOR. 

THE  winter  had  passed  away  tranquilly  at  Astoria.  The  ap 
prehensions  of  hostility  from  the  natives  had  subsided  ;  indeed, 
as  the  season  advanced,  the  Indians  for  the  most  part  had 
disappeared  from  the  neighborhood,  and  abandoned  the  sea 
coast,  so  that,  for  want  of  their  aid,  the  colonists  had  at  times 
suffered  considerably  for  want  of  provisions.  The  hunters 
belonging  to  the  establishment  made  frequent  and  wide  excur 
sions,  but  with  very  moderate  success.  There  were  some  deer 
and  a  few  bears  to  be  found  in  the  vicinity,  and  elk  in  great 
numbers ;  the  country,  however,  was  so  rough,  and  the  woods 
so  close  and  entangled,  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  beat 
up  the  game.  The  prevalent  rains  of  winter,  also,  rendered 
it  difficult  for  the  hunter  to  keep  his  arms  in  order.  The 
quantity  of  game,  therefore,  brought  in  by  the  hunters  was 
extremely  scanty,  and  it  was  frequently  necessary  to  put  all 
hands  on  very  moderate  allowance.  Towards  spring,  how 
ever,  the  fishing  season  commenced, — the  season  of  plenty  on 


THE    UTHLECAN.  79 

the  Columbia.  About  the  beginning  of  February,  a  small  kind 
of  fish,  about  six  inches  long,  called  by  the  natives  the  uthle- 
can,  and  resembling  the  smelt,  made  its  appearance  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  It  is  said  to  be  of  delicious  flavor,  and  so 
fat  as  to  burn  like  a  candle,  for  which  it  is  often  used  by  the 
natives.  It  enters  the  river  in  immense  shoals,  like  solid 
columns,  often  extending  to  the  depth  of  five  or  more  feet,  and 
is  scooped  up  by  the  natives  with  small  nets  at  the  end  of 
poles.  In  this  way  they  will  soon  fill  a  canoe,  or  form  a  great 
heap  upon  the  river  banks.  These  fish  constitute  a  principal 
article  of  their  food ;  the  women  drying  them  and  stringing 
them  on  cords. 

As  the  uthlecan  is  only  found  in  the  lower  part  of  the  river, 
the  arrival  of  it  soon  brought  back  the  natives  to  the  coast ;  who 
again  resorted  to  the  factory  to  trade,  and  from  that  time  fur 
nished  plentiful  supplies  of  fish. 

The  sturgeon  makes  its  appearance  in  the  river  shortly  after 
the  uthlecan,  and  is  taken  in  different  ways,  by  the  natives  : 
sometimes  they  spear  it ;  but  oftener  they  use  the  hook  and 
line,  and  the  net.  Occasionally,  they  sink  a  cord  in  the  river 
by  a  heavy  weight,  with  a  buoy  at  the  upper  end,  to  keep  it 
floating.  To  this  cord  several  hooks  are  attached  by  short 
lines,  a  few  feet  distant  from  each  other,  and  baited  with  small 
fish.  This  apparatus  is  often  set  towards  night,  and  by  the 
next  morning  several  sturgeon  will  be  found  hooked  by  it ;  for 
though  a  large  and  strong  fish,  it  makes  but  little  resistance 
when  ensnared. 

The  salmon,  which  are  the  prime  fish  of  the  Columbia,  and 
as  important  to  the  piscatory  tribes  as  are  the  buffaloes  to  the 
hunters  of  the  prairies,  do  not  enter  the  river  until  towards  the 
latter  part  of  May,  from  which  time,  until  the  middle  of  August, 
they  abound,  and  are  taken  in  vast  quantities,  either  with  the 


80  FOREST    TREES — A    REMARKABLE    VINE. 

spear  or  seine,  and  mostly  in  shallow  water.  An  inferior 
species  succeeds,  and  continues  from  August  to  December. 
It  is  remarkable  for  having  u  double  row  of  teeth,  half  an  inch 
long  and  extremely  sharp,  from  whence  it  has  received  the 
name  of  the  dog-toothed  salmon.  It  is  generally  killed  with 
the  spear,  in  small  rivulets,  and  smoked  for  winter  provision. 
We  have  noticed  in  a  former  chapter  the  mode  in  which  the 
salmon  are  taken  and  cured  at  the  falls  of  the  Columbia ;  and 
put  up  in  parcels  for  exportation.  From  these  different  fish 
eries  of  the  river  tribes,  the  establishment  at  Astoria  had  to 
derive  much  of  its  precarious  supplies  of  provisions. 

A  year's  residence  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  various 
expeditions  in  the  interior,  had  now  given  the  Astorians  some 
idea  of  the  country.  The  whole  coast  is  described  as  remark 
ably  rugged  and  mountainous  ;  with  dense  forests  of  hemlock, 
spruce,  white  and  red  cedar,  cotton-wood,  white  oak$  white 
and  swamp  ash,  willow,  and  a  few  walnut.  There  is  likewise 
an  undergrowth  of  aromatic  shrubs,  creepers,  and  clambering 
vines,  that  render  the  forests  almost  impenetrable  ;  together 
with  berries  of  various  kinds,  such  as  gooseberries,  strawber 
ries,  raspberries,  both  red  and  yellow,  very  large  and  finely 
flavored  whortleberries,  cranberries,  serviceberries,  blackber 
ries,  currants,  sloes,  and  wild  and  choke  cherries. 

Among  the  flowering  vines  is  one  deserving  of  particular 
notice.  Each  flower  is  composed  of  six  leaves  or  petals,  about 
three  inches  in  length,  of  a  beautiful  crimson,  the  inside  spotted 
with  white.  Its  leaves,  of  a  fine  green,  are  oval,  and  disposed 
by  threes.  This  plant  climbs  upon  the  trees  without  attaching 
itself  to  them  ;  when  it  has  reached  the  topmost  branches,  it 
descends  perpendicularly,  and  as  it  continues  to  grow,  extends 
from  tree  to  tree,  until  its  various  stalks  interlace  the  grove 
like  the  rigging  of  a  ship.  The  stems  or  trunks  of  this  vine 


ANIMALS BIRDS REPTILES.  81 

are  tougher  and  more  flexible  than  willow,  and  are  from  fifty 
to  one  hundred  fathoms  in  length.  From  the  fibres,  the 
Indians  manufacture  baskets  of  such  close  texture  as  to  hold 
water. 

The  principal  quadrupeds  that  had  been  seen  by  the  colo 
nists  in  their  various  expeditions,  were  the  stag,  fallow  deer, 
hart,  black  and  grizzly  bear,  antelope,  ahsahta  or  bighorn, 
beaver,  sea  and  river  otter,  muskrat,  fox,  wolf,  -and  panther, 
the  latter  extremely  rare.  The  only  domestic  animals  among 
the  natives  were  horses  and  dogs. 

The  country  abounded  with  aquatic  and  land  birds,  such  as 
swans,  wild  geese,  brant,  ducks  of  almost  every  description, 
pelicans,  herons,  gulls,  snipes,  curlews,  eagles,  vultures,  crows, 
ravens,  magpies,  woodpeckers,  pigeons,  partridges,  pheasants, 
grouse,  and  a  great  variety  of  singing  birds. 

There  were  few  reptiles ;  the  only  dangerous  kinds  were 
the  rattlesnake,  and  one  striped  with  black,  yellow,  and  white, 
about  four  feet  long.  Among  the  lizard  kind  was  one  about 
nine  or  ten  inches  in  length,  exclusive  of  the  tail,  and  three 
inches  in  circumference.  The  tail  was  round,  and  of  the  same 
length  as  the  body.  The  head  was  triangular,  covered  with 
small  square  scales.  The  upper  part  of  the  body  was  like 
wise  covered  with  small  scales,,  green,  yellow,  black  and  blue. 
Each  foot  had  five  toes,  furnished  with v  strong  nails,  probably 
to  aid  it  in  burrowing,  as  it  usually  lived  under  ground  on  the 
plains. 

A  remarkable  fact,  characteristic  of  the  country  west  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  is  the  mildness  and  equability  of  the  climate. 
That  great  mountain  barrier  seems  to  divide  the  continent  into 
different  climates,  even  in  the  same  degrees  of  latitude.  The 
rigorous  winters  and  sultry  summers,  and  all  the  capricious 
inequalities  of  temperature  prevalent  on  the  Atlantic  side  of 


CLIMATE    WEST   OF   THE    MOUNTAINS. 

the  mountains,  are  but  little  felt  on  their  western  declivities. 
The  countries  between  them  and  the  Pacific  are  blest  with 
milder  and  steadier  temperature,  resembling  the  climates  of 
parallel  latitudes  in  Europe.  In  the  plains  and  valleys,  but 
little  snow  falls  throughout  the  winter,  and  usually  melts  while 
falling.  It  rarely  lies  on  the  ground  more  than  two  days  at  a 
time,  except  on  the  summits  of  the  mountains.  The  winters 
are  rainy  rather  than  cold.  The  rains  for  five  months,  from 
the  middle  of  October  to  the  middle  of  March,  are  almost 
incessant,  and  often  accompanied  by  tremendous  thunder  and 
lightning.  The  winds  prevalent  at  this  season  are  from  the 
south  and  southeast,  which  usually  bring  rain.  Those  from 
the  north  to  the  southwest  are  the  harbingers  of  fair  weather 
and  a  clear  sky.  The  residue  of  the  year,  from  the  middle  of 
March  to  the  middle  of  October,  an  interval  of  seven  months, 
is  serene  and  delightful.  There  is  scarcely  any  rain  through 
out  this  time,  yet  the  face  of  the  country  is  kept  fresh  and 
verdant  by  nightly  dews,  and  occasionally  by  humid  fogs  in  the 
mornings.  These  are  not  considered  prejudicial  to  health, 
since  both  the  natives  and  the  whites  sleep  in  the  open  air 
with  perfect  impunity.  While  this  equable  and  bland  temper 
ature  prevails  throughout  the  lower  country,  the  peaks  and 
ridges  of  the  vast  mountains  by  which  it  is  dominated,  are 
covered  with  perpetual  snow.  This  renders  them  discernable 
at  a  great  distance,  shining  at  times  like  bright  summer  clouds, 
at  other  times  assuming  the  most  aerial  tints,  and  always 
forming  brilliant  and  striking  features  in  the  vast  landscape. 
The  mild  temperature  prevalent  throughout  the  country  is  attri 
buted  by  some  to  the  succession  of  winds  from  the  Pacific 
ocean,  extending  from  latitude  twenty  degrees  to  at  least  fifty 
degrees  north.  These  temper  the  heat  of  summer,  so  that  in 
the  shade  no  one  is  incommoded  by  perspiration ;  they  also 


VARIOUS    SOILS.  83 

soften  the  rigors  of  winter,  and  produce  such  a  moderation  in 
the  climate,  that  the  inhabitants  can  wear  the  same  dress 
throughout  the  year. 

The  soil  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  sea  coast  is  of  a  brown 
color,  inclining  to  red,  and  generally  poor  ;  being  a  mixture  of 
clay  and  gravel.  In  the  interior,  and  especially  in  the  valleys 
of  the  Rocky  mountains,  the  soil  is  generally  blackish  ;  though 
sometimes  yellow.  It  is  frequently  mixed  with  marl  and  with 
marine  substances,  in  a  state  of  decomposition.  This  kind  of 
soil  extends  to  a  considerable  depth,  as  may  be  perceived  in 
the  deep  cuts  made  by  ravines,  and  by  the  beds  of  rivers. 
The  vegetation  in  these  valleys  is  much  more  abundant  than 
near  the  coast ;  in  fact,  it  is  in  these  fertile  intervals,  locked 
up  between  rocky  sierras,  or  scooped  out  from  barren  wastes, 
that  population  must  extend  itself,  as  it  were,  in  veins  and 
ramifications,  if  ever  the  regions  beyond  the  mountains  should 
become  civilized. 


84  NATIVES    OF   THE    COAST. 


CHAPTER    X. 

NATIVES  IN  THE  NEIGHBORHOOD  OF  ASTORIA — THEIR  PERSONS  AND  CHAR 
ACTERISTICS CAUSES   OF    DEFORMITY THEIR    DRESS THEIR    CONTEMPT 

OF     BEARDS ORNAMENTS ARMOR     AND     WEAPONS MODE     OF     FLATTEN 
ING    THE    HEAD EXTENT  OF    THE  CUSTOM RELIGIOUS    BELIEF THE  TWO 

GREAT    SPIRITS    OF   THE     AIR    AND     OF    THE     FIRE PRIESTS    OR    MEDICINE 

MEN THE     RIVAL     IDOLS POLYGAMY     A     CAUSE     OF     GREATNESS PETTY 

WARFARE MUSIC,  DANCING,  GAMBLING THIEVING  A   VIRTUE KEEN  TRA 
DERS INTRUSIVE     HABITS ABHORRENCE     OF     DRUNKENNESS ANECDOTE 

OF    COMCOMLY. 

A  BRIEF  mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  tribes  or 
hordes  existing  about  the  lower  part  of  the  Columbia  at  the 
time  of  the  settlement ;  a  few  more  particulars  concerning 
them  may  be  acceptable.  The  four  tribes  nearest  to  Astoria, 
and  with  whom  the  traders  had  most  intercourse,  were,  as  has 
heretofore  been  observed,  the  Chinooks,  the  Clatsops,  the 
Wahkiacums,  and  the  Cathlamets.  The  Chinooks  resided 
chiefly  along  the  banks  of  a  river  of  the  same  name,  running 
parallel  to  the  sea  coast,  through  a  low  country  studded  with 
stagnant  pools,  and  emptying  itself  into  Baker's  bay,  a  few 
miles  from  Cape  Disappointment.  This  was  the  tribe  over 
which  Comcomly,  the  one  eyed  chieftain,  held  sway ;  it 
boasted  two  hundred  and  fourteen  fighting  men.  Their  chief 
subsistence  was  on  fish,  with  an  occasional  regale  of  the  flesh 
of  elk  and  deer,  and  of  wild  fowl  from  the  neighboring  ponds. 


THEIR  PERSONS  AND  FEATURES.  85 

The  Clatsops  resided  on  both  sides  of  Point  Adams ;  they 
were  the  mere  reliques  of  a  tribe  which  had  been  nearly  swept 
off  by  the  smallpox,  and  did  not  number  more  than  one  hun 
dred  and  eighty  fighting  men. 

The  Wahkiacums,  or  Waak-i-cums,  inhabited  the  north  side 
of  the  Columbia,  and  numbered  sixty-six  warriors.  They 
and  the  Chinooks  were  originally  the  same ;  but  a  dispute 
arising  about  two  generations  previous  to  the  time  of  the 
settlement  between  the  ruling  chief  and  his  brother  Wahkia- 
cum ;  the  latter  seceded,  and  with  his  adherents,  formed  the 
present  horde  which  continues  to  go  by  his  name.  In  this 
way  new  tribes  or  clans  are  formed,  and  lurking  causes  of 
hostility  engendered. 

The  Cathlemets  lived  opposite  to  the  lower  village  of  the 
Wahkiacums,  and  numbered  ninety-four  warriors. 

These  four  tribes,  or  rather  clans,  have  every  appearance 
of  springing  from  the  same  origin,  resembling  each  other  in 
person,  dress,  language  and  manners.  They  are  rather  a 
diminutive  race,  generally  below  five  feet,  five  inches,  with 
crooked  legs  and  thick  ankles ;  a  deformity  caused  by  their 
passing  so  much  of  their  time  sitting  or  squatting  upon  the 
calves  of  their  legs,  and  their  heels,  in  the  bottom  of  their 
canoes  ;  a  favorite  position,  which  they  retain,  even  when  on 
shore.  The  women  increase  the  deformity  by  wearing  tight 
bandages  round  the  ankles,  which  prevent  the  circulation  of 
the  blood,  and  cause  a  swelling  of  the  muscles  of  the  leg. 

Neither  sex  can  boast  of  personal  beauty.  Their  faces  are 
round,  with  small,  but  animated  eyes.  Their  noses  are  broad 
and  flat  at  top,  and  fleshy  at  the  end,  with  large  nostrils.  They 
have  wide  mouths,  thick  lips,  and  short,  irregular  and  dirty 
teeth.  Indeed,  good  teeth  are  seldom  to  be  seen  among  the 
tribes  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  who  live  chiefly  on  fish. 

VOL.  II.  8 


86  THEIR    DRESS. 

In  the  early  stages  of  their  intercourse  with  white  men, 
these  savages  were  but  scantily  clad.  In  summer  time  the  men 
went  entirely  naked ;  in  the  winter  and  in  bad  weather,  the 
men  wore  a  small  robe,  reaching  to  the  middle  of  the  thigh, 
made  of  the  skins  of  animals,  or  of  the  wool  of  the  mountain 
sheep.  Occasionally,  they  wore  a  kind  of  mantle  of  matting, 
to  keep  off  the  rain ;  but,  having  thus  protected  the  back  and 
shoulders,  they  left  the  rest  of  the  body  naked. 

The  women  wore  similar  robes,  though  shorter,  not  reaching 
below  the  waist ;  beside  which,  they  had  a  kind  of  petticoat, 
or  fringe,  reaching  from  the  waist  to  the  knee,  formed  of  the 
fibres  of  Cedar  bark,  broken  into  strands,  or  a  tissue  of  silk 
grass  twisted  and  knotted  at  the  ends.  This  was  the  usual 
dress  of  the  women  in  summer ;  should  the  weather  be  in 
clement,  they  added  a  vest  of  skins,  similar  to  the  robe. 

The  men  care'fully  eradicated  every  vestige  of  a  beard,  con 
sidering  it  a  great  deformity.  They  looked  with  disgust  at 
the  whiskers  and  well  furnished  chins  of  the  white  men,  and 
and  in  derision  called  them  Long  beards.  Both  sexes,  on 
the  other  hand,  cherished  the  hair  of  the  head,  which  with 
them  is  generally  black  and  rather  coarse.  They  allowed  it 
to  grow  to  a  great  length,  and  were  very  proud  and  careful 
of  it,  sometimes  wearing  it  plaited,  sometimes  wound  round 
the  head  in  fanciful  tresses.  No  greater  affront  could  be  offered 
to  them  than  to  cut  off  their  treasured  locks. 

They  had  conical  hats  with  narrow  rims,  neatly  woven  of 
bear  grass  or  of  the  fibres  of  cedar  bark,  interwoven  with 
designs  of  various  shapes  and  colors ;  sometimes  merely 
squares  and  triangles,  at  other  times  rude  representations  of 
canoes,  with  men  fishing  and  harpooning.  These  hats  were 
nearly  water  proof,  and  extremely  durable. 

The  favorite  ornaments  of  the  men  were  collars  of  bears' 


ORNAMENTS ARMOR.  87 

claws,  the  proud  trophies  of  hunting  exploits  ;  while  the  women 
and  children  wore  similar  decorations  of  elk's  tusks.  An 
intercourse  with  the  white  traders,  however,  soon  effected  a 
change  in  the  toilets  of  both  sexes.  They  became  fond  of 
arraying  themselves  in  any  article  of  civilized  dress  which 
they  could  procure,  and  often  made  a  most  grotesque  appear 
ance.  They  adapted  many  articles  of  finery,  also,  to  their 
own  previous  tastes.  Both  sexes  were  fond  of  adorning  them 
selves  with  bracelets  of  iron,  brass  or  copper.  They  were 
delighted,  also,  with  blue  and  white  beads,  particularly  the 
former,  and  wore  broad  tight  bands  of  them  round  the  waist 
and  ancles ;  large  rolls  of  them  round  the  neck,  and  pendants 
of  them  in  the  ears.  The  men,  especially,  who,  in  savage  life 
carry  a  passion  for  personal  decoration  farther  than  the  females, 
did  not  think  their  gala  equipments  complete,  unless  they  had 
a  jewel  of  haiqua,  or  wampum,  dangling  at  the  nose.  Thus 
arrayed,  their  hair  besmeared  with  fish  oil,  and  their  bodies 
bedaubed  with  red  clay,  they  considered  themselves  irresistible. 
When  on  warlike  expeditions,  they  painted  their  faces  and 
bodies  in  the  most  hideous  and  grotesque  manner,  according 
to  the  universal  practice  of  American  savages.  Their  arms 
were  bows  and  arrows,  spears,  and  war  clubs.  Some  wore  a 
corslet,  formed  of  pieces  of  hard  wood,  laced  together  with 
bear  grass,  so  as  to  form  a  light  coat  of  mail,  pliant  to  the 
body ;  and  a  kind  of  casque  of  cedar  bark,  leather,  and  bear 
grass,  sufficient  to  protect  the  head  from  an  arrow  or  a  war 
club.  A  more  complete  article  of  defensive  armor  was  a  buff 
jerkin  or  shirt  of  great  thickness,  made  of  doublings  of  elk 
skin,  and  reaching  to  the  feet,  holes  being  left  for  the  head 
and  arms.  This  was  perfectly  arrow  proof;  add  to  which, 
it  was  often  endowed  with  charmed  virtues,  by  the  spells  and 
mystic  ceremonials  of  the  medicine  man,  or  conjurer. 


88  FLATTENING    OF   THE    HEAD. 

Of  the  peculiar  custom,  prevalent  among  these  people,  of 
flattening  the  head,  we  have  already  spoken.  It  is  one  of 
those  instances  of  human  caprice,  like  the  crippling  of  the 
feet  of  females  in  China,  which  are  quite  incomprehensible. 
This  custom  prevails  principally  among  the  tribes  on  the  sea 
coast,  and  about  the  lower  parts  of  the  rivers.  How  far  it 
extends  along  the  coast  we  are  not  able  to  ascertain.  Some 
of  the  tribes,  both  north  and  south  of  the  Columbia,  practice 
it ;  but  they  all  speak  the  Chinook  language,  and  probably 
originated  from  the  same  stock.  As  far  as  we  can  learn,  the 
remoter  tribes,  which  speak  an  entirely  different  language,  do 
not  flatten  the  head.  This  absurd  custom  declines,  also,  in 
receding  from  the  shores  of  the  Pacific ;  few  traces  of  it  are 
to  be  found  among  the  tribes  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and 
after  crossing  the  mountains  it  disappears  altogether.  Those 
Indians,  therefore,  about  the  head  waters  of  the  Columbia,  and 
in  the  solitary  mountain  regions,  who  are  often  called  Flat- 
heads,  must  not  be  supposed  to  be  characterized  by  this  de 
formity.  It  is  an  appellation  often  given  by  the  hunters  east 
of  the  mountain  chain,  to  all  the  western  Indians,  excepting 
the  Snakes. 

The  religious  belief  of  these  people  was  extremely  limited 
and  confined ;  or  rather,  in  all  probability,  their  explanations 
were  but  little  understood  by  their  visiters.  They  had  an  idea 
of  a  benevolent  and  omnipotent  spirit,  the  creator  of  all  things. 
They  represent  him  as  assuming  various  shapes  at  pleasure, 
but  generally  that  of  an  immense  bird.  He  usually  inhabits 
the  sun,  but  occasionally  wings  his  way  through  the  aerial 
regions,  and  sees  all  that  is  doing  upon  earth.  Should  any 
thing  displease  him,  he  vents  his  wrath  in  terrific  storms  and 
tempests,  the  lightning  being  the  flashes  of  his  eyes,  and  the 
thunder  the  clapping  of  his  wings.  To  propitiate  his  favor 


THE    AIR    SPIRIT    AND    THE    FIRE    SPIRIT.  89 

they  offer  to  him  annual  sacrifices  of  salmon  and  venison,  the 
first  fruits  of  their  fishing  and  hunting. 

Beside  this  aerial  spirit  they  believe  in  an  inferior  one, 
who  inhabits  the  fire,  and  of  whom  they  are  in  perpetual 
dread,  as,  though  he  possesses  equally  the  power  of  good  and 
evil,  the  evil  is  apt  to  predominate.  They  endeavor,  there 
fore,  to  keep  him  in  good  humor  by  frequent  offerings.  He  is 
supposed  also  to  have  great  influence  with  the  winged  spirit, 
their  sovereign  protector  and  benefactor.  They  implore  him, 
therefore,  to  act  as  their  interpreter  and  procure  them  all 
describable  things,  such  as  success  in  fishing  and  hunting, 
abundance  of  game,  fleet  horses,  obedient  wives,  and  male 
children. 

These  Indians  have  likewise  their  priests,  or  conjurers,  or 
medicine  men,  who  pretend  to  be  in  the  confidence  of  the 
deities,  and  the  expounders  and  enforcers  of  their  will.  Each 
of  these  medicine  men  has  his  idols  carved  in  wood,  repre 
senting  the  spirits  of  the  air  and  of  the  fire,  under  some  rude 
and  grotesque  form  of  a  horse,  a  bear,  a  beaver,  or  other 
quadruped,  or  that  of  a  bird  or  fish.  These  idols  are  hung 
round  with  amulets  and  votive  offerings,  such  as  beaver's  teeth, 
and  bear's  and  and  eagle's  claws. 

When  any  chief  personage  is  on  his  death  bed,  or  danger 
ously  ill,  the  medicine  men  are  sent  for.  Each  brings  with 
him  his  idols,  with  which  he  retires  into  a  canoe  to  hold  a 
consultation.  As  doctors  are  prone  to  disagree,  so  these 
medicine  men  have  now  and  then  a  violent  altercation  as  to 
the  malady  of  the  patient,  or  the  treatment  of  it.  To  settle 
this  they  beat  their  idols  soundly  against  each  other ;  which 
ever  first  loses  a  tooth  or  a  claw  is  considered  as  confuted, 
and  his  votary  retires  from  the  field. 

Polygamy  is  not  only  allowed,  but  considered  honorable, 

8* 


90  POLYGAMY    A    TITLE    TO    OFFICE. 

and  the  greater  number  of  wives  a  man  can  maintain,  the  more 
important  is  he  in  the  eyes  of  the  tribe.  The  first  wife,  how 
ever,  takes  rank  of  all  the  others,  and  is  considered  mistress 
of  the  house.  Still  the  domestic  establishment  is  liable  to 
jealousies  and  cabals,  and  the  lord  and  master  has  much  dif 
ficulty  in  maintaining  harmony  in  his  jangling  household. 

In  the  manuscript  from  which  we  draw  many  of  these 
particulars,  it  is  stated  that  he  who  exceeds  his  neighbors  in 
the  number  of  his  wives,  male  children  and  slaves,  is  elected 
chief  of  the  village  ;  a  title  to  office  which  we  do  not  recollect 
ever  before  to  have  met  with. 

Feuds  are  frequent  among  these  tribes,  but  are  not  very 
deadly.  They  have  occasionally  pitched  battles,  fought  on 
appointed  days,  and  at  specified  places,  which  are  generally 
the  banks  of  a  rivulet.  The  adverse  parties  post  themselves 
on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  stream,  and  at  such  distances 
that  the  battles  often  last  a  long  while  before  any  blood  is 
shed.  The  number  of  killed  and  wounded  seldom  exceed 
half  a  dozen.  Should  the  damage  be  equal  on  each  side,  the 
war  is  considered  as  honorably  concluded ;  should  one  party 
lose  more  than  the  other,  it  is  entitled  to  a  compensation  in 
slaves  or  other  property,  otherwise  hostilities  are  liable  to  be 
renewed  at  a  future  day.  They  are  much  given  also  to  preda 
tory  inroads  into  the  territories  of  their  enemies,  and  some 
times  of  their  friendly  neighbors.  Should  they  fall  upon  a 
band  of  inferior  force,  or  upon  a  village,  weakly  defended, 
they  act  with  the  ferocity  of  true  poltroons,  slaying  all  the  men 
and  carrying  off  the  women  and  children  as  slaves.  As  to 
the  property,  it  is  packed  upon  horses  which  they  bring  with 
them  for  the  purpose.  They  are  mean  and  paltry  as  warriors, 
and  altogether  inferior  in  heroic  qualities  to  the  savages  of  the 
buffalo  plains  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountains. 


STEALING    CONSIDERED    A    MERIT.  91 

A  great  portion  of  their  time  is  passed  in  revelry,  music, 
dancing  and  gambling.  Their  music  scarcely  deserves  the 
name;  the  instruments  being  of  the  rudest  kind.  Their  sing 
ing  is  harsh  and  discordant,  the  songs  are  chiefly  extempore, 
relating  to  passing  circumstances,  the  persons  present,  or  any 
trifling  object  that  strikes  the  attention  of  the  singer.  They 
have  several  kinds  of  dances,  some  of  them  lively  and  pleasing. 
The  women  are  rarely  permitted  to  dance  with  the  men.  but 
form  groups  apart,  dancing  to  the  same  instrument  and  song. 

They  have  a  great  passion  for  play,  and  a  variety  of  games. 
To  such  a  pitch  of  excitement  are  they  sometimes  roused, 
that  they  gamble  away  every  thing  they  possess,  even  to  their 
wives  and  children.  They  are  notorious  thieves,  also,  and 
proud  of  their  dexterity.  He  who  is  frequently  successful, 
gains  much  applause  and  popularity ;  but  the  clumsy  thief, 
who  is  detected  in  some  bungling  attempt,  is  scoffed  at  and 
despised,  and  sometimes  severely  punished. 

Such  are  a  few  leading  characteristics  of  the  natives  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Astoria.  They  appear  to  us  inferior  in  many 
respects  to  the  tribes  east  of  the  mountains,  the  bold  rovers 
of  the  prairies ;  and  to  partake  much  of  the  Esquimaux  char 
acter  ;  elevated  in  some  degree  by  a  more  genial  climate,  and 
more  varied  style  of  living. 

The  habits  of  traffic  engendered  at  the  cataracts  of  the 
Columbia,  have  had  their  influence  along  the  coast.  The 
Chinooks  and  other  Indians  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  soon 
proved  themselves  keen  traders,  and  in  their  early  dealings 
with  the  Astorians,  never  hesitated  to  ask  three  times  what 
they  considered  the  real  value  of  an  article.  They  were 
inquisitive,  also,  in  the  extreme,  and  impertinently  intrusive ; 
and  were  prone  to  indulge  in  scoffing  and  ridicule,  at  the 
expense  of  the  strangers. 


92  ANECDOTE    OF    COMCOMLY. 

In  one  thing,  however,  they  showed  superior  judgment  and 
self-command,  to  most  of  their  race  ;  this  was,  in  their  absti 
nence  from  ardent  spirits,  and  the  abhorrence  and  disgust  with 
which  they  regarded  a  drunkard.  On  one  occasion,  a  son 
of  Comcomly  had  been  induced  to  drink  freely  at  the  factory, 
and  went  home  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  playing  all  kinds 
of  mad  pranks,  until  he  sank  into  a  stupor,  in  which  he  re 
mained  for  two  days.  The  old  chieftain  repaired  to  his  friend, 
M'Dougal,  with  indignation  flaming  in  his  countenance,  and 
bitterly  reproached  him  for  having  permitted  his  son  to  degrade 
himself  into  a  beast,  and  to  render  himself  an  object  of  scorn 
and  laughter  to  his  slave. 


VARIOUS    EXPEDITIONS    SET    ON    FOOT.  93 


CHAPTER    XL 

SPRING  ARRANGEMENTS  AT  ASTORIA — VARIOUS  EXPEDITIONS  SET  OUT — THE 
LONG  NARROWS — PILFERING  INDIANS — THIEVISH  TRIBE  AT  WISH-RAM — 

PORTAGE  AT  THE  FALLS PORTAGE  BY  MOONLIGHT AN  ATTACK,  A  ROUT, 

AND  A  ROBBERY INDIAN  CURE  FOR  COWARDICE A  PARLEY  AND  COM 
PROMISE THE  DESPATCH  PARTY  TURN  BACK MEET  CROOKS  AND  JOHN 

DAY THEIR  SUFFERINGS INDIAN  PERFIDY ARRIVAL  AT  ASTORIA. 

As  the  spring  opened,  the  little  settlement  of  Astoria  was  in 
agitation,  and  prepared  to  send  forth  various  expeditions.  Se 
veral  important  things  were  to  be  done.  It  was  necessary  to 
send  a  supply  of  goods  to  the  trading  post  of  Mr.  David  Stuart, 
established  in  the  preceding  autumn  on  the  Oakinagan.  The 
cache,  or  secret  deposit  made  by  Mr.  Hunt  at  the  Caldron 
Linn,  was  likewise  to  be  visited,  and  the  merchandize  and 
other  effects  left  there,  to  be  brought  to  Astoria.  A  third 
object  of  moment  was  to  send  despatches  overland  to  Mr. 
Astor  at  New  York,  informing  him  of  the  state  of  affairs  at  the 
settlement,  and  the  fortunes  of  the  several  expeditions. 

The  task  of  carrying  supplies  to  Oakinagan  was  assigned  to 
Mr.  Robert  Stuart,  a  spirited  and  enterprising  young  man, 
nephew  to  the  one  who  had  established  the  post.  The  cache 
was  to  be  sought  out  by  two  of  the  clerks,  named  Russell 
Farnham  and  Donald  M'Gilles,  conducted  by  a  guide,  and 
accompanied  by  eight  men,  to  assist  in  bringing  home  the 
goods. 


94  REED   AND    HIS   DESPATCHES. 

As  to  the  despatches,  they  were  confided  to  Mr.  John  Reed, 
the  clerk,  the  same  who  had  conducted  one  of  the  exploring 
detachments  of  Snake  river.  He  was  now  to  trace  back  his 
way  across  the  mountains  by  the  same  route  by  which  he  had 
come,  with  no  other  companions  or  escort  than  Ben  Jones,  the 
Kentucky  hunter,  and  two  Canadians.  As  it  was  still  hoped 
that  Mr.  Crooks  might  be  in  existence,  and  that  Mr.  Reed 
and  his  party  might  meet  with  him  in  the  course  of  their  route, 
they  were  charged  with  a  small  supply  of  goods  and  provisions, 
to  aid  that  gentleman  on  his  way  to  Astoria. 

When  the  expedition  of  Reed  was  made  known,  Mr.  M'Lel- 
lan  announced  his  determination  to  accompany  it.  He  had 
long  been  dissatisfied  with  the  smallness  of  his  interest  in  the 
copartnership,  and  had  requested  an  additional  number  of 
shares  ;  his  request  not  being  complied  with,  he  resolved  to 
abandon  the  company.  M'Lellan  was  a  man  of  a  singularly 
self-willed  and  decided  character,  with  whom  persuasion  was 
useless ;  he  was  permitted,  therefore,  to  take  his  own  course 
without  opposition. 

As  to  Reed,  he  set  about  preparing  for  his  hazardous  jour 
ney  with  the  zeal  of  a  true  Irishman.  He  had  a  tin  case 
made,  in  which  the  letters  and  papers  addressed  to  Mr.  Astor 
were  carefully  soldered  up.  This  case  he  intended  to  strap 
upon  his  shoulders,  so  as  to  bear  it  about  with  him,  sleeping 
and  waking,  in  all  changes  and  chances,  by  land  or  by  water, 
and  never  to  part  with  it  but  with  his  life  ! 

As  the  route  of  these  several  parties  would  be  the  same  for 
nearly  four  hundred  miles  up  the  Columbia,  and  within  that 
distance  would  lie  through  the  piratical  pass  of  the  rapids,  and 
among  the  freebooting  tribes  of  the  river,  it  was  thought  advis 
able  to  start  about  the  same  time,  and  to  keep  together.  Ac 
cordingly,  on  the  22d  of  March,  they  all  set  off,  to  the  number 


THE    PIRATICAL    PASS.  95 

of  seventeen  men,  in  two  canoes  ; — and  here  we  cannot  but 
pause  to  notice  the  hardihood  of  these  several  expeditions, 
so  insignificant  in  point  of  force,  and  severally  destined  to 
traverse  immense  wildernesses,  where  larger  parties  had  expe 
rienced  so  much  danger  and  distress.  When  recruits  were 
sought  in  the  preceding  year  among  experienced  hunters  and 
voyageurs  at  Montreal  and  St.  Louis,  it  was  considered  dan 
gerous  to  attempt  to  cross  the  Rocky  mountains  with  less  than 
sixty  men  ;  and  yet  here  we  find  Reed  ready  to  push  his  way 
across  those  barriers  with  merely  three  companions.  Such  is 
the  fearlessness,  the  insensibility  to  danger,  which  men  acquire 
by  the  habitude  of  constant  risk.  The  mind,  like  the  body, 
becomes  callous  by  exposure. 

The  little  associated  band  proceeded  up  the  river,  under  the 
command  of  Mr.  Robert  Stuart,  and  arrived  early  in  the  month 
of  April  at  the  Long  Narrows,  that  notorious  plundering  place. 
Here  it  was  necessary  to  unload  the  canoes,  and  to  transport 
both  them  and  their  cargoes  to  the  head  of  the  Narrows  by 
land.  Their  party  was  too  few  in  number  for  the  purpose. 
They  were  obliged,  therefore,  to  seek  the  assistance  of  the 
Cathlasco  Indians,  who  undertook  to  carry  the  goods  on  their 
horses.  Forward  then  they  set,  the  Indians  with  their  horses 
well  freighted,  and  the  first  load  convoyed  by  Reed  and  five 
men,  well  armed  ;  the  gallant  Irishman  striding  along  at  the 
head,  with  his  tin  case  of  despatches  glittering  on  his  back. 
In  passing,  however,  through  a  rocky  and  intricate  defile,  some 
of  the  freebooting  vagabonds  turned  their  horses  up  a  narrow 
path  and  galloped  off,  carrying  with  them  two  bales  of  goods, 
and  a  number  of  smaller  articles.  To  follow  them  was  use 
less  ;  indeed,  it  was  with  much  ado  that  the  convoy  got  into 
port  with  the  residue  of  the  cargoes ;  for  some  of  the  guards 
were  pillaged  of  their  knives  and  pocket  handkerchiefs,  and 


THIEVISH    INDIANS. 

the  lustrous  tin  case  of  Mr.  John  Reed  was  in  imminent 
jeopardy. 

Mr.  Stuart  heard  of  these  depredations,  and  hastened  for 
ward  to  the  relief  -of  the  convoy,  but  could  not  reach  them 
before  dusk,  by  which  time  they  had  arrived  at  the  village  of 
Wish-ram,  already  noted  for  its  great  fishery,  and  the  knavish 
propensities  of  its  inhabitants.  Here  they  found  themselves 
benighted  in  a  strange  place,  and  surrounded  by  savages  bent 
on  pilfering,  if  not  upon  open  robbery.  Not  knowing  what 
active  course  to  take,  they  remained  under  arms  all  night, 
without  closing  an  eye,  and  at  the  very  first  peep  of  dawn, 
when  objects  were  yet  scarce  visible,  every  thing  was  hastily 
embarked,  and,  without  seeking  to  recover  the  stolen  effects, 
they  pushed  off  from  shore  ;  "  glad  to  bid  adieu,"  as  they  said, 
"to  this  abominable  nest  of  miscreants." 

The  worthies  of  Wish-ram,  however,  were  not  disposed  to 
part  so  easily  with  their  visiters.  Their  cupidity  had  been 
quickened  by  the  plunder  which  they  had  already  taken,  and 
their  confidence  increased  by  the  impunity  with  which  their 
outrage  had  passed.  They  resolved,  therefore,  to  take  further 
toll  of  the  travellers,  and,  if  possible,  to  capture  the  tin  case  of 
despatches  ;  which,  shining  conspicuously  from  afar,  and  being 
guarded  by  John  Reed  with  such  especial  care,  must,  as  they 
supposed,  be  "  a  great  medicine." 

Accordingly,  Mr.  Stuart  and  his  comrades  had  not  proceeded 
far  in  the  canoes,  when  they  beheld  the  whole  rabble  of  Wish- 
ram  stringing  in  groups  along  the  bank,  whooping  and  yelling, 
and  gibbering  in  their  wild  jargon,  and  when  they  landed 
below  the  falls,  they  were  surrounded  by  upwards  of  four  hun 
dred  of  these  river  ruffians,  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  war 
clubs,  and  other  savage  weapons.  These  now  pressed  for 
ward,  with  offers  to  carry  the  canoes  and  effects  up  the  por- 


PORTAGE    AT    THE    FALLS.  97 

tage.  Mr.  Stuart  declined  forwarding  the  goods,  alleging  the 
lateness  of  the  hour ;  but,  to  keep  them  in  good-humor,  inform 
ed  them  that,  if  they  conducted  themselves  well,  their  offered 
services  might  probably  be  accepted  in  the  morning ;  in  the 
meanwhile,  he  suggested  that  they  might  carry  up  the  canoes. 
They  accordingly  set  off  with  the  two  canoes  on  their  shoul 
ders,  accompanied  by  a  guard  of  eight  men  well  armed. 

When  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  falls,  the  mischievous  spirit 
of  the  savages  broke  out,  and  they  were  on  the  point  of  de 
stroying  the  canoes,  doubtless  with  a  view  to  impede  the  white 
men  from  carrying  forward  their  goods,  and  laying  them  open 
to  further  pilfering.  They  were  with  some  difficulty  prevented 
from  committing  this  outrage  by  the  interference  of  an  old 
man,  who  appeared  to  have  authority  among  them  ;  and,  in 
consequence  of  his  harangue,  the  whole  of  the  hostile  band, 
with  the  exception  of  about  fifty,  crossed  to  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  where  they  lay  in  wait,  ready  for  further  mischief. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Stuart,  who  had  remained  at  the  foot 
of  the  falls  with  the  goods,  and  who  knew  that  the  proffered 
assistance  of  the  savages  was  only  for  the  purpose  of  having 
an  opportunity  to  plunder,  determined,  if  possible,  to  steal  a 
march  upon  them,  and  defeat  their  machinations.  In  the  dead 
of  the  night,  therefore,  about  one  o'clock,  the  moon  shining 
brightly,  he  roused  his  party,  and  proposed  that  they  should 
endeavor  to  transport  the  goods  themselves,  above  the  falls, 
before  the  sleeping  savages  could  be  aware  of  their  operations. 
All  hands  sprang  to  the  work  with  zeal,  and  hurried  it  on  in 
the  hope  of  getting  all  over  before  daylight.  Mr.  Stuart  went 
forward  with  the  first  loads,  and  took  his  station  at  the  head 
of  the  portage,  while  Mr.  Reed  and  Mr.  M'Lellan  remained  at 
the  foot  to  forward  the  remainder. 

The  day  dawned  before  the  transportation  was  completed. 

VOL.  II.  9 


98  REED'S  TIN  BOX. 

Some  of  the  fifty  Indians  who  had  remained  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  perceived  what  was  going  on,  and,  feeling  them 
selves  too  weak  for  an  attack,  gave  the  alarm  to  those  on  the 
opposite  side,  upwards  of  a  hundred  of  whom  embarked  in 
several  large  canoes.  Two  loads  of  goods  yet  remained  to  be 
brought  up.  Mr.  Stuart  despatched  some  of  the  people  for  one 
of  the  loads,  with  a  request  to  Mr.  Reed  to  retain  with  him  as 
many  men  as  he  thought  necessary  to  guard  the  remaining 
load,  as  he  suspected  hostile  intentions  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians.  Mr.  Reed,  however,  refused  to  retain  any  of  them, 
saying  that  M'Lellan  and  himself  were  sufficient  to  protect  the 
small  quantity  that  remained.  The  men  accordingly  departed 
with  the  load,  while  Reed  and  M'Lellan  continued  to  mount 
guard  over  the  residue.  By  this  time,  a  number  of  the  canoes 
had  arrived  from  the  opposite  side.  As  they  approached  the 
shore,  the  unlucky  tin  box  of  John  Reed,  shining  afar  like  the 
brilliant  helmet  of  Euryalus,  caught  their  eyes.  No  sooner  did 
the  canoes  touch  the  shore,  than  they  leaped  forward  on  the 
rocks,  set  up  a  war-whoop,  and  sprang  forward  to  secure  the 
glittering  prize.  Mr.  M'Lellan,  who  was  at  the  river  bank, 
advanced  to  guard  the  goods,  when  one  of  the  savages  at 
tempted  to  hoodwink  him  with  his  buffalo  robe  with  one  hand, 
and  to  stab  him  with  the  other.  M'Lellan  sprang  back  just 
far  enough  to  avoid  the  blow,  and  raising  his  rifle,  shot  the 
ruffian  through  the  heart. 

In  the  meantime,  Reed,  who  with  the  want  of  forethought 
of  an  Irishman,  had  neglected  to  remove  the  leathern  cover 
from  the  lock  of  his  rifle,  was  fumbling  at  the  fastenings,  when 
lie  received  a  blow  on  the  head  with  a  war  club  that  laid  him 
senseless  on  the  ground.  In  a  twinkling  he  was  stripped  of 
his  rifle  and  pistols,  and  the  tin  box,  the  cause  of  all  this 
onslaught,  was  borne  off  in  triumph. 


INDIAN    CURE    FOR    COWARDICE.  99 

At  this  critical  juncture,  Mr.  Stuart,  who  had  heard  the  war- 
whoop,  hastened  to  the  scene  of  action  with  Ben  Jones,  and 
seven  others,  of  the  men.  When  he  arrived,  Reed  was  wel 
tering  in  his  blood,  and  an  Indian  standing  over  him  and  about 
to  despatch  him  with  a  tomahawk.  Stuart  gave  the  word, 
when  Ben  Jones  levelled  his  rifle,  and  shot  the  miscreant  on 
the  spot.  The  men  then  gave  a  cheer,  and  charged  upon  the 
main  body  of  the  savages,  who  took  to  instant  flight.  Reed 
was  now  raised  from  the  ground,  and  borne  senseless  and 
bleeding  to  the  upper  end  of  the  portage.  Preparations  were 
made  to  launch  the  canoes  and  embark  in  all  haste,  when  it 
was  found  that  they  were  too  leaky  to  be  put  in  the  water,  and 
that  the  oars  had  been  left  at  the  foot  of  the  falls.  A  scene  of 
confusion  now  ensued.  The  Indians  were  whooping  and 
yelling,  and  running  about  like  fiends.  A  panic  siezed  upon 
the  men,  at  being  thus  suddenly  checked,  the  hearts  of  some 
of  the  Canadians  died  within  them,  and  two  young  men  actu 
ally  fainted  away.  The  moment  they  recovered  their  senses, 
Mr.  Stuart  ordered  that  they  should  be  deprived  of  their  arms, 
their  under  garments  taken  off,  and  that  a  piece  of  cloth  should 
be  tied  round  their  waists,  in  imitation  of  a  squaw  ;  an  Indian 
punishment  for  cowardice.  Thus  equipped,  they  were  stowed 
away  among  the  goods  in  one  of  the  canoes.  This  ludicrous 
affair  excited  the  mirth  of  the  bolder  spirits,  even  in  the  midst 
of  their  perils,  and  roused  the  pride  of  the  wavering.  The 
Indians  having  crossed  back  again  to  the  north  side,  order  was 
restored,  some  of  the  hands  were  sent  back  for  the  oars,  others 
set  to  work  to  caulk  and  launch  the  canoes,  and  in  a  little 
while  all  were  embarked  and  were  continuing  their  voyage 
along  the  southern  shore. 

No  sooner  had  they  departed,  than  the  Indians  returned  to 


100  AN   INDIAN   AMBUSH. 

the  scene  of  action,  bore  off  their  two  comrades,  who  had  been 
shot,  one  of  whom  was  still  living,  and  returned  to  their  village. 
Here  they  killed  two  horses ;  and  drank  the  hot  blood  to  give 
fierceness  to  their  courage.  They  painted  and  arrayed  them 
selves  hideously  for  battle ;  performed  the  dead  dance  round 
the  slain,  and  raised  the  war  song  of  vengeance.  Then 
mounting  their  horses,  to  the  number  of  four  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  and  brandishing  their  weapons,  they  set  off  along  the 
northern  bank  of  the  river,  to  get  ahead  of  the  canoes,  lie  in 
wait  for  them,  and  take  a  terrible  revenge  on  the  white  men. 

They  succeeded  in  getting  some  distance  above  the  canoes 
without  being  discovered,  and  were  crossing  the  river  to  post 
themselves  on  the  side  along  which  the  white  men  were 
coasting,  when  they  were  fortunately  descried.  Mr.  Stuart 
and  his  companions  were  immediately  on  the  alert.  As  they 
drew  near  to  the  place  where  the  savages  had  crossed,  they 
observed  them  posted  among  steep  and  overhanging  rocks, 
close  along  which,  the  canoe's  would  have  to  pass.  Finding 
that  the  enemy  had  the  advantage  of  the  ground,  the  whites 
stopped  short  when  within  five  hundred  yards  of  them,  and 
discharged  and  reloaded  their  pieces.  They  then  made  a  fire, 
and  dressed  the  wounds  of  Mr.  Reed,  who  had  received  five 
severe  gashes  in  the  head.  This  being  done,  they  lashed  the 
canoes  together,  fastened  them  to  a  rock  at  a  small  distance 
from  the  shore,  and  there  awaited  the  menaced  attack. 

They  had  not  been  long  posted  in  this  manner,  when  they 
saw  a  canoe  approaching.  It  contained  the  war-chief  of  the 
tribe,  and  three  of  his  principal  warriors.  He  drew  near,  and 
made  a  long  harangue,  in  which  he  informed  them  that  they 
had  killed  one  and  wounded  another  of  his  nation ;  that  the 
relations  of  the  slain  cried  out  for  vengeance,  and  he  had  been 


PARLEY    AND    COMPROMISE.  101 

compelled  to  lead  them  to  the  fight.  Still  he  wished  to  spare 
unnecessary  bloodshed,  he  proposed,  therefore,  that  Mr.  Reed, 
who,  he  observed,  was  little  better  than  a  dead  man,  might  be 
given  up  to  be  sacrificed  to  the  manes  of  the  deceased  warrior. 
This  would  appease  the  -fury  of  his  friends  ;  the  hatchet  would 
then  be  buried,  and  all  thenceforward  would  be  friends.  The 
answer  was  a  stem  refusal  and  a  defiance,  and  the  war-chief 
saw  that  the  canoes  were  well  prepared  for  a  vigorous  defence. 
He  withdrew,  therefore,  and,  returning  to  his  warriors  among 
the  rocks  held  long  deliberations.  Blood  for  blood  is  a  prin 
ciple  in  Indian  equity  and  Indian  honor  ;  but  though  the  inhab 
itants  of  Wish-ram  were  men  of  war,  they  were  likewise  men 
of  traffic,  and  it  was  suggested  that  honor  for  once  might  give 
way  to  profit.  A  negotiation  was  accordingly  opened  with  the 
white  men,  and  after  some  diplomacy,  the  matter  was  com 
promised  for  a  blanket  to  cover  the  dead,  and  some  tobacco  to 
be  smoked  by  the  living.  This  being  granted,  the  heroes  of 
Wish-ram  crossed  the  river  onqe  more,  returned  to  their 
village  to  feast  upon  the  horses  whose  blood  they  had  so 
vaingloriously  drunk,  and  the  travellers  pursued  their  voyage 
without  further  molestation. 

The  tin  case,  however,  containing  the  important  despatches 
for  New  York,  was  irretrievably  lost ;  the  very  precaution 
taken  by  the  worthy  Hibernian  to  secure  his  missives,  had, 
by  rendering  them  conspicuous,  produced  their  robbery.  The 
object  of  his  over-land  journey,  therefore,  being  defeated,  he 
gave  up  the  expedition.  The  whole  party  repaired  with  Mr. 
Robert  Stuart  to  the  establishment  of  Mr.  David  Stuart,  on  the 
Oakinagan  river.  After  remaining  here  two  or  three  days, 
they  all  set  out  on  their  return  to  Astoria,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  David  Stuart.  This  gentleman,  had  a  large  quantity  of 

9 


102  RETROGRADE    MARCH. 

beaver  skins  at  his  establishment,  but  did  not  think  it  prudent 
to  take  them  with  him,  fearing  the  levy  of  "  black  mail"  at 
the  falls. 

On  their  way  down,  when  below  the  forks  of  the  Columbia, 
they  were  hailed  one  day  from  the  shore  in  English.  Looking 
around,  they  descried  two  wretched  men,  entirely  naked. 
They  pulled  to  shore  ;  the  men  came  up  and  made  themselves 
known.  They  proved  to  be  Mr.  Crooks  and  his  faithful  fol 
lower,  John  Day. 

The  reader  will -recollect,  that  Mr.  Crooks,  with  Day  and 
four  Canadians,  had  been  so  reduced  by  famine  and  fatigue, 
that  Mr.  HunJ  was  obliged  to  leave  them,  in  the  month  of 
December,  on  the  banks  of  the  Snake  river.  Their  situation 
was  the  more  critical,  as  they  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  a 
band  of  Shoshonies,  whose  horses  had  been  forcibly  seized  by 
Mr.  Hunt's  party  for  provisions.  Mr.  Crooks  remained  here 
twenty  days,  detained  by  the  extremely  reduced  state  of  John 
Day,  who  was  utterly  unable  to  travel,  and  whom  he  would  not 
abandon,  as  Day  had  been  in  his  employ  on  the  Missouri,  and 
had  always  proved  himself  most  faithful.  Fortunately  the 
Shoshonies  did  not  offer  to  molest  th'em.  They  had  never 
before  seen  white  men,  and  seemed  to  entertain  some  super 
stitions  with  regard  to  them,  for,  though  they  would  encamp 
near  them  in  the  day  time,  they  would  move  0$  'with  their 
tents  in  the  night;  and  finally  disappeared,  witnifeut  taking 
leave. 

When  Day  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  travel,  they  kept 
feebly  on,  sustaining  themselves  as  well  as  they  could,  until  in 
the  month  of  February,  when  three  of  the  Canadians,  fearful 
of  perishing  with  want,  left  Mr.  Crooks  on  a  small  river,  on  the 
road  by  which  Mr.  Hunt  had  passed  in  quest  of  Indians.  Mr. 


INDIAN    PERFIDY.  103 

Crooks  followed  Mr.  Hunt's  track  in  the  snow  for  several  days, 
sleeping  as  usual  in  the  open  air,  and  suffering  all  kinds  of 
hardships.  At  length,  coming  to  a  low  prairie,  he  lost  every 
appearance  of  the  "  trail,"  and  wandered  during  the  remainder 
of  the  winter  in  the  mountains,  subsisting  sometimes  on  horse 
meat,  sometimes  on  beavers  and  their  skins,  and  a  part  of  the 
time  on  roots. 

About  the  last  of  March,  the  other  Canadian  gave  out,  and 
was  left  with  a  lodge  of  Shoshonies  ;  but  Mr.  Crooks  and  John 
Day  still  kept  on,  and  finding  the  snow  sufficiently  diminished, 
undertook,  from  Indian  information,  to  cross  the  last  mountain 
ridge.  They  happily  succeeded,  and  afterwards  fell  in  with 
the  Wallah- Wallahs,  a  tribe  of  Indians  inhabiting  the  banks 
of  a  river  of  the  same  name,  and  reputed  as  being  frank,  hos 
pitable  and  sincere.  They  proved  worthy  of  the  character,  for 
they  received  the  poor  wanderers  kindly,  killed  a  horse  for 
them  to  eat,  and  directed  them  on  their  way  to  the  Columbia. 
They  struck  the  river  about  the  middle  of  April,  and  advanced 
down  it  one  hundred  miles,  until  they  came  within  about 
twenty  miles  of  the  falls. 

Here  they  met  with  some  of  the  "  chivalry"  of  that  noted 
pass,  who  received  them  in  a  friendly  way,  and  set  food  before 
them ;  but,  while  they  were  satisfying  their  hunger,  perfidi 
ously  seized  their  rifles.  They  then  stripped  them  naked,  and 
drove  them  off,  refusing  the  entreaties  of  Mr.  Crooks  for  a  flint 
and  steel  of  which  they  had  robbed  him ;  and  threatening  his 
life  if  he  did  not  instantly  depart. 

In  this  forlorn  plight,  still  worse  off  than  before,  they  re 
newed  their  wanderings.  They  now  sought  to  find  their  way 
back  to  the  hospitable  Wallah- Wallahs,  and  had  advanced 
eighty  miles  along  the  river,  when  fortunately,  on  the  very 


104  ARRIVAL   AT    ASTORIA. 

morning  that  they  were  going  to  leave  the    Columbia,  and 
strike  inland,  the  canoes  of  Mr.  Stuart  hove  in  sight. 

It  is  needless  to  describe  the  joy  of  these  poor  men  at  once 
more  finding  themselves  among  countrymen  and  friends,  or  of 
the  honest  and  hearty  welcome  with  which  they  were  received 
by  their  fellow  adventurers.  The  whole  party  now  continued 
down  the  river,  passed  all  the  dangerous  places  without  inter 
ruption,  and  arrived  safely  at  Astoria  on  the  llth  of  May. 


COMPREHENSIVE    VIEWS.  105 


CHAPTER    XII. 

COMPREHENSIVE  VIEWS — TO  SUPPLY  THE  RUSSIAN  FUR  ESTABLISHMENT — 

AN  AGENT  SENT  TO  RUSSIA PROJECT  OF  AN  ANNUAL  SHIP THE  BEAVER 

FITTED  OUT HER  EQUIPMENT  AND  CREW INSTRUCTIONS  TO  THE  CAPTAIN 

— THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS — RUMORS  OF  THE  FATE  OF  THE  TONQUIN — 
PRECAUTIONS  AT  REACHING  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  COLUMBIA. 

HAVING  traced  the  fortunes  of  the  two  expeditions  by  sea  and 
land  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  presented  a  view  of 
affairs  at  Astoria,  we  will  return  for  a  moment  to  the  master 
spirit  of  the  enterprise,  who  regulated  the  springs  of  Astoria, 
at  his  residence  in  New  York. 

It  will  be  remembered,  that  a  part  of  the  plan  of  Mr.  Astor 
was  to  furnish  the  Russian  fur  establishment  on  the  north-west 
coast  with  regular  supplies,  so  as  to  render  it  independent 
of  those  casual  vessels  which  cut  up  the  trade  and  supplied 
the  natives  with  arms.  This  plan  had  been  countenanced  by 
our  own  government,  and  likewise  by  Count  Pahlen,  the  Rus 
sian  minister  at  Washington.  As  its  views,  however,  were 
important  and  extensive,  and  might  eventually  affect  a  wide 
course  of  commerce,  Mr.  Astor  was  desirous  of  establishing  a 
complete  arrangement  on  the  subject  with  the  Russian  Amer 
ican  Fur  Company,  under  the  sanction  of  the  Russian  govern 
ment.  For  this  purpose,  in  March,  1811,  he  despatched  a 
confidential  agent  to  St.  Petersburgh,  fully  empowered  to  enter 
into  the  requisite  negotiations.  A  passage  was  given  to  this 


106  FITTING    OUT    OF   THE    BEAVER. 

gentleman  by  the  government  of  the  United  States,  in  the 
John  Adams,  one  of  its  armed  vessels,  bound  to  a  European 
port. 

The  next  step  of  Mr.  Astor  was,  to  despatch  the  annual 
ship  contemplated  on  his  general  plan.  He  had  as  yet  heard 
nothing  of  the  success  of  the  previous  expeditions,  and  had  to 
proceed  upon  the  presumption  that  every  thing  had  been  af 
fected  according  to  his  instructions.  He  accordingly  fitted 
out  a  fine  ship  of  four  hundred  and  ninety  tons,  called  the 
Beaver,  and  freighted  her  with  a  valuable  cargo  destined  for 
the  factory,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  the  trade  along  the 
coast,  and  the  supply  of  the  Russian  establishment.  In  this 
ship  embarked  a  reinforcement,  consisting  of  a  partner,  five 
clerks,  fifteen  American  laborers,  and  six  Canadian  voyageurs. 
In  choosing  his  agents  for  his  first  expedition,  Mr.  Astor  had 
been  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  British  subjects  experienced 
in  the  Canadian  fur  trade  ;  henceforth  it  was  his  intention,  as 
much  as  possible,  to  select  Americans,  so  as  to  secure  an 
ascendancy  of  American  influence  in  the  management  of  the 
company,  and  to  make  it  decidedly  national. 

Accordingly,  Mr.  John  Clarke,  the  partner  who  took  the 
lead  in  the  present  expedition,  was  a  native  of  the  United 
States,  though  he  had  passed  much  of  his  life  in  the  north 
west,  having  been  employed  in  the  fur  trade  since  the  age 
of  sixteen.  Most  of  the  clerks  were  young  gentlemen  of 
good  connections  in  the  American  cities,  some  of  whom  em 
barked  in  the  hope  of  gain,  others  through  the  mere  spirit 
of  adventure  incident  to  youth. 

The  instructions  given  by  Mr.  Astor  to  Captain  Sowle,  the 
commander  of  the  Beaver,  were,  in  some  respects,  hypotheti 
cal,  in  consequence  of  the  uncertainty  resting  upon  the  pre 
vious  steps  of  the  enterprise. 


SANDWICH    ISLANDS.  107 

He  was  to  touch  at  the  Sandwich  islands,  enquire  about 
the  fortunes  of  the  Tonquin,  and  whether  an  establishment 
had  been  formed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  If  so,  he 
was  to  take  as  many  Sandwich  islanders  as  his  ship  would 
accommodate,  and  proceed  thither.  On  arriving  at  the  river,  he 
was  to  observe  great  caution,  for  even  if  an  establishment  should 
have  been  formed,  it  might  have  fallen  into  hostile  hands.  He 
was,  therefore,  to  put  in  as  if  by  casualty  or  distress,  to  give 
himself  out  as  a  coasting  trader,  and  to  say  nothing  about  his- 
ship  being  owned  by  Mr.  Astor,  until  he  had  ascertained  that 
every  thing  was  right.  In  that  case,  he  was  to  land  such  part 
of  his  cargo  as  was  intended  for  the  establishment,  and  to  pro 
ceed  to  New  Archangel  with  the  supplies  intended  for  the 
Russian  post  at  that  place,  where  he  could  receive  peltries  in 
payment.  With  these  he  was  to  return  to  Astoria;  take  in 
the  furs  collected  there,  and,  having  completed  his  cargo  by 
trading  along  the  coast,  was  to  proceed  to  Canton.  The 
captain  received  the  same  injunctions  that  had  been  given  to 
Captain  Thorn  of  the  Tonquin,  of  great  caution  and  circum 
spection  in  his  intercourse  with  the  natives,  and  that  he  should 
not  permit  more  than  one  or  two  to  be  on  board  at  a  time. 

The  Beaver  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  10th  of  October, 
1811,  and  reached  the  Sandwich 'islands  without  any  occur 
rence  of  moment.  Here  a  rumor  was  heard  of  the  disastrous 
fate  of  the  Tonquin.  Deep  solicitude  was  felt  by  every  one 
on  board  for  the  fate  of  both  expeditions,  by  sea  and  land. 
Doubts  .were  entertained  whether  any  establishment  had  been 
formed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  or  whether  any  of  the 
company  would  be  found  there.  After  much  deliberation,  the 
captain  took  twelve  Sandwich  islanders  on  board,  for  the  ser 
vice  of  the  factory,  should  there  be  one  in  existence,  and 
proceeded  on  his  voyage. 


108  PREPARATIONS— SIGNAL    GUNS. 

On  the  6th  of  May  he  arrived  off  of  the  mouth  of  the  Co 
lumbia,  and  running  as  near  as  possible,  fired  two  signal  guns. 
No  answer  was  returned,  nor  was  there  any  signal  to  be  des 
cried.  Night  coming  on,  the  ship  stood  out  to  sea,  and  every 
heart  drooped  as  the  land  faded  away.  On  the  following 
morning  they  again  ran  in  within  four  miles  of  the  shore,  and 
fired  other  signal  guns,  but  still  without  reply.  A  boat  was  then 
despatched,  to  sound  the  channel,  and  attempt  an  entrance ; 
but  returned  without  success,  there  being  a  tremendous  swell, 
and  breakers.  Signal  guns  were  fired  again  in  the  evening, 
but  equally  in  vain,  and  once  more  the  ship  stood  off  to  sea 
for  the  night.  The  captain  now  gave  up  all  hope  of  finding 
any  establishment  at  the  place,  and  indulged  in  the  most 
gloomy  apprehensions.  He  feared  his  predecessors  had  been 
massacred  before  they  had  reached  their  place  of  destination ; 
or  if  they  should  have  erected  a  factory,  that  it  had  been 
surprised  and  destroyed  by  the  natives. 

In  this  moment  of  doubt  and  uncertainty,  Mr.  Clarke  an 
nounced  his  determination,  in  case  of  the  worst,  to  found  an 
establishment  with  the  present  party,  and  all  hands  bravely 
engaged  to  stand  by  him  in  the  undertaking.  The  next 
morning  the  ship  stood  in  for  the  third  time,  and  fired  three 
signal  guns,  but  with  little  hope  of  reply.  To  the  great  joy 
of  the  crew,  three  distinct  guns  were  heard  in  answer.  The 
apprehensions  of  all  but  Captain  Sowle  were  now  at  rest. 
That  cautious  commander  recollected  the  instructions  given 
him  by  Mr.  Astor,  and  determined  to  proceed  with  great  cir 
cumspection.  He  was  well  aware  of  Indian  treachery  and 
cunning.  It  was  not  impossible,  he  observed,  that  these 
cannon  might  have  been  fired  by  the  savages  themselves. 
They  might  have  surprised  the  fort,  massacred  its  inmates ; 
and  these  signal  guns  might  only  be  decoys  to  lure  him  across 


SIGNAL    FLAG.  109 

the  bar,  that  they  might  have  a  chance  of  cutting  him  off,  and 
seizing  his  vessel 

At  length  a  white  flag  was  descried  hoisted  as  a  signal  on 
cape  Disappointment.  The  passengers  pointed  to  it  in  triumph, 
but  the  captain  did  not  yet  dismiss  his  doubts.  A  beacon  fire 
blazed  through  the  night  on  the  same  place,  but  the  captain 
observed  that  all  these  signals  might  be  treacherous. 

On  the  following  morning,  May  9th,  the  vessel  came  to 
anchor  off  cape  Disappointment,  outside  of  the  bar.  Towards 
noon  an  Indian  canoe  was  seen  making  for  the  ship,  and  all 
hands  were  ordered  ^o  be  on  the  alert.  A  few  moments  after 
wards,  a  barge  was  perceived  following  the  canoe.  The 
hopes  and  fears  of  those  on  board  of  the  ship  were  in  tumul 
tuous  agitation,  as  the  boat  drew  nigh  that  was  to  let  them 
know  the  fortunes  of  the  enterprise,  and  the  fate  of  their  pre 
decessors.  The  captain,  who  was  haunted  with  the  idea  of 
possible  treachery,  did  not  suffer  his  curiosity  to  get  the  better 
of  his  caution,  but  ordered  a  party  of  his  men  under  arms,  to 
receive  the  visiters.  The  canoe  came  first  along  side,  in 
which  were  Comcomly  and  six  Indians ;  in  the  barge  were 
M'Dougal,  M'Lellan,  and  eight  Canadians.  A  little  conversa 
tion  with  these  gentlemen  dispelled  all  the  captain's  fears, 
and  the  Beaver  crossing  the  bar  under  their  pilotage,  anchored 
safely  in  Baker's  bay. 


10 


110  OPERATIONS   AT   ASTORIA 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

ACTIVE   OPERATIONS   AT  ASTORIA VARIOUS   EXPEDITIONS  FITTED  OUT— 

ROBERT  STUART  AND  A  PARTY  DESTINED   FOR  NEW  YORK — SINGULAR 
CONDUCT   OF   JOHN   DAY — HIS   FATE — PIRATICAL   PASS  AND  HAZARDOUS 

PORTAGE RATTLESNAKES THEIR    ABHORRENCE   OF   TOBACCO— ARRIVAL 

AMONG  THE  WALLAH- WALLAHS PURCHASE  OF  HORSES DEPARTURE  OF 

STUART  AND  HIS  BAND  FOR  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

THE  arrival  of  the  Beaver  with  a  reinforcement  and  supplies, 
gave  new  life  and  vigor  to  affairs  at  Astoria.  These  were 
means  for  extending  the  operations  of  the  establishment,  and 
founding  interior  trading  posts.  Two  parties  were  immediately 
set  on  foot  to  proceed  severally  under  the  command  of  Messrs. 
M'Kenzie  and  Clarke,  and  establish  posts  above  the  forks  of 
the  Columbia,  at  points  where  most  rivalry  and  opposition 
were  apprehended  from  the  North-west  Company. 

A  third  party,  headed  by  Mr.  David  Stuart,  was  to  repair 
with  supplies  to  the  post  of  that  gentleman  on  the  Oakinagan. 
In  addition  to  these  expeditions,  a  fourth  was  necessary  to 
convey  despatches  to  Mr.  Astor,  at  New  York,  in  place  of 
those  unfortunately  lost  by  John  Reed.  The  safe  conveyance 
of  these  despatches  were  highly  important,  as  by  them  Mr. 
Astor  would  receive  an  account  of  the  state  of  the  factory, 
and  regulate  his  reinforcements  and  supplies  accordingly.  The 
mission  was  one  of  peril  and  hardship,  and  required  a  man 
of  nerve  and  vigor.  It  was  confided  to  Robert  Stuart,  who, 


OVER    LAND    PARTY.  Ill 

though  he  had  never  been  across  the  mountains,  and  a  very 
young  man,  had  given  proofs  of  his  competency  to  the  task. 
Four  trusty  and  well-tried  men,  who  had  come  over  land  in 
Mr.  Hunt's  expedition,  were  given  as  his  guides  and  hunters. 
These  were  Ben  Jones  and  John  Day,  the  Kentuckians,  and 
Andri  Vallar  and  Francis  Le  Clerc,  Canadians.  Mr.  M'Lellan 
again  expressed  his  determination  to  take  this  opportunity 
of  returning  to  the  Atlantic  states.  In  this  he  was  joined  by 
Mr.  Crooks,  who,  notwithstanding  all  that  he  had  suffered  in 
the  dismal  journey  of  the  preceding  winter,  was  ready  to 
retrace  his  steps  and  brave  every  danger  and  hardship,  rather 
than  remain  at  Astoria.  This  little  handful  of  adventurous 
men  we  propose  to  accompany  in  its  long  and  perilous 
peregrinations. 

The  several  parties  we  have  mentioned  all  set  off  in  com 
pany  on  the  29th  of  June,  under  a  salute  of  cannon  from  the 
fort.  They  were  to  keep  together,  for  mutual  protection, 
through  the  piratical  passes  of  the  river,  and  to  separate,  on 
their  different  destinations,  at  the  forks  of  the  Columbia,  Their 
number,  collectively,  was  nearly  sixty,  consisting  of  partners 
and  clerks,  Canadian  voyageurs,  Sandwich  islanders,  and 
American  hunters  ;  and  they  embarked  in  two  barges  and  ten 
canoes. 

They  had  scarcely  got  under  way,  when  John  Day,  the 
Kentucky  hunter,  became  restless,  and  uneasy,  and  extremely 
wayward  in  his  deportment.  This  caused  surprise,  for  in 
general  he  was  remarked  for  his  cheerful,  manly  deportment. 
It  was  supposed  that  the  recollection  of  past  sufferings  might 
harrass  his  mind  in  undertaking  to  retrace  the  scenes  where 
they  had  been  experienced.  As  the  expedition  advanced,  how 
ever,  his  agitation  increased.  He  began  to  talk  wildly  and 
incoherently,  and  to  show  manifest  symptoms  of  derangement 


112  DERANGEMENT    OF    A    HUNTER. 

Mr.  Crooks  now  informed  his  companions  that  in  his  deso 
late  wanderings  through  the  Snake  river  country  during  the 
preceding  winter,  in  which  he  had  been  accompanied  by  John 
Day,  the  poor  fellow's  wits  had  been  partially  unsettled  by  the 
sufferings  and  horrors  through  which  they  had  passed,  and  he 
doubted  whether  they  had  ever  been  restored  to  perfect  sanity. 
It  was  still  hoped  that  this  agitation  of  spirit  might  pass  away 
as  they  proceeded ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  grew  more  and 
more  violent.  His  comrades  endeavored  to  divert  his  mind 
and  to  draw  him  into  rational  conversation,  but  he  only  became 
the  more  exasperated,  uttering  wild  and  incoherent  ravings. 
The  sight  of  any  of  the  natives  put  him  in  an  absolute  fury, 
and  he  would  heap  on  them  the  most  opprobrious  epithets  ;  re 
collecting,  no  doubt,  what  he  had  suffered  from  Indian  robbers. 

On  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  July  he  became  absolutely 
frantic,  and  attempted  to  destroy  himself.  Being  disarmed, 
he  sank  into  quietude,  and  professed  the  greatest  remorse  for 
the  crime  he  had  meditated.  He  then  pretended  to  sleep, 
and  having  thus  lulled  suspicion,  suddenly  sprang  up,  just 
before  daylight,  seized  a  pair  of  loaded  pistols,  and  endeavored 
to  blow  out  his  brains.  In  his  hurry  he  fired  too  high,  and 
the  balls  passed  over  his  head.  He  was  instantly  secured, 
and  placed  under  a  guard  in  one  of  the  boats.  How  to  dis 
pose  of  him  was  now  the  question,  as  it  was  impossible  to 
keep  him  with  the  expedition.  Fortunately  Mr.  Stuart  met 
with  some  Indians  accustomed  to  trade  with  Astoria.  These 
undertook  to  conduct  John  Day  back  to  the  factory,  and 
deliver  him  there  in  safety.  It  was  with  the  utmost  concern 
that  his  comrades  saw  the  poor  fellow  depart ;  for,  independent 
of  his  invaluable  services  as  a  first  rate  hunter,  his  frank  loyal 
qualities  had  made  him  a  universal  favorite.  It  may  be  as 
well  to  add  that  the  Indians  executed  their  task  faithfully, 


PIRATICAL    PASS.  113 

and  landed  John  Day  among  his  friends  at  Astoria ;  but  his 
constitution  was  completely  broken  by  the  hardships  he  had 
undergone,  and  he  died  within  a  year. 

On  the  evening  of  the  6th  of  July  the  party  arrived  at  the 
piratical  pass  of  the  river,  and  encamped  at  the  foot  of  the 
first  rapid.  The  next  day,  before  the  commencement  of  the 
portage,  the  greatest  precautions  were  taken  to  guard  against 
lurking  treachery,  or  open  attack.  The  weapons  of  every 
man  were  put  in  order,  and  his  cartridge-box  replenished. 
Each  one  wore  a  kind  of  surcoat  made  of  the  skin  of  the  elk, 
reaching  from  his  neck  to  his  knees,  and  answering  the  pur 
pose  of  a  shirt  of  mail,  for  it  was  arrow  proof,  and  could  even 
resist  a  musket  ball  at  the  distance  of  ninety  yards.  Thus 
armed  and  equipped,  they  posted  their  forces  in  military  style. 
Five  of  the  officers  took  their  stations  at  each  end  of  the 
portage,  which  was  between  three  and  four  miles  in  length ; 
a  number  of  men  mounted  guard  at  short  distances  along  the 
heights  immediately  overlooking  the  river,  while  the  residue 
thus  protected  from  surprise,  employed  themselves  below  in 
dragging  up  the  barges  and  canoes,  and  carrying  up  the  goods 
along  the  narrow  margin  of  the  rapids.  With  these  pre 
cautions  they  all  passed  unmolested.  The  only  accident  that 
happened  was  the  upsetting  of  one  of  the  canoes,  by  which 
some  of  the  goods  sunk,  and  others  floated  down  the  stream. 
The  alertness  and  rapacity  of  the  hordes  which  infest  these 
rapids,  were  immediately  apparent.  They  pounced  upon  the 
floating  merchandise  with  the  keenness  of  regular  wreckers. 
A  bale  of  goods  which  landed  upon  one  of  the  islands  was 
immediately  ripped  open,  one  half  of  its  contents  divided 
among  the  captives,  and  the  other  half  secreted  in  a  lonely  hut 
in  a  deep  ravine.  Mr.  Robert  Stuart,  however,  set  out  in  a 

canoe  with   five   men    and   an   interpreter,  ferreted   out   the 

10* 


114  INDIAN    FREEBOOTERS. 

wreckers  in  their  retreat,  and  succeeded  in  wresting  from 
them  their  booty. 

Similar  precautions  to  those  already  mentioned,  and  to  a 
still  greater  extent,  were  observed  in  passing  the  long  narrows, 
and  the  falls,  where  they  would  be  exposed  to  the  depreda 
tions  of  the  chivalry  of  Wish-ram,  and  its  freebooting  neighbor 
hood.  In  fact,  they  had  scarcely  set  their  first  watch  one 
night,  when  an  alarm  of  "  Indians  !"  was  given.  "  To  arms !" 
was  the  cry,  and  every  man  was  at  his  post  in  an  instant. 
The  alarm  was  explained ;  a  war  party  of  Shoshonies  had 
surprised  a  canoe  of  the  natives  just  below  the  encampment, 
had  murdered  four  men  and  two  women,  and  it  was  appre 
hended  they  would  attack  the  camp.  The  boats  and  canoes 
were  immediately  hauled  up,  a  breastwork  was  made  of  them, 
and  the  packages,  forming  three  sides  of  a  square,  with  the 
river  in  the  rear,  and  thus  the  party  remained  fortified  through 
out  the  night. 

The  dawn,  however,  dispelled  the  alarm ;  the  portage  was 
conducted  in  peace ;  the  vagabond  warriors  of  the  vicinity 
hovered  about  them  while  at  work,  but  were  kept  at  a  wary 
distance.  They  regarded  the  loads  of  merchandise  with 
wistful  eyes,  but  seeing  the  "  long  beards"  so  formidable  in 
number,  and  so  well  prepared  for  action,  they  made  no  attempt 
either  by  open  force  or  sly  pilfering  to  collect  their  usual  toll, 
but  maintained  a  peaceful  demeanor,  and  were  afterwards 
rewarded  for  their  good  conduct  with  presents  of  tobacco. 

Fifteen  days  were  consumed  in  ascending  from  the  foot 
of  the  first  rapid,  to  the  head  of  the  falls,  a  distance  of  about 
eighty  miles,  but  full  of  all  kinds  of  obstructions.  Having 
happily  accomplished  these  difficult  portages,  the  party,  on 
the  19th  of  July,  arrived  at  a  smoother  part  of  the  river,  and 
pursued  their  way  up  the  stream  with  greater  speed  and  facility. 


STOLEN    ARTICLES    RECOVERED.  115 

They  were  now  in  the  neighborhood  where  Mr.  Crooks  and 
John  Day  had  been  so  perfidiously  robbed  and  stripped  a  few 
months  previously,  when  confiding  in  the  proffered  hospitality 
of  a  ruffian  band.  On  landing  at  night,  therefore,  a  vigilant 
guard  was  maintained  about  the  camp.  On  the  following 
morning  a  number  of  Indians  made  their  appearance,  and 
came  prowling  round  the  party  while  at  breakfast.  To  his 
great  delight,  Mr.  Crooks  recognized  among  them  two  of  the 
miscreants  by  whom  he  had  been  robbed.  They  were  in 
stantly  seized,  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  thrown  into  one  of 
the  canoes.  Here  they  lay  in  doleful  fright,  expecting  sum 
mary  execution.  Mr.  Crooks,  however,  was  not  of  a  revenge 
ful  disposition,  and  agreed  to  release  the  culprits  as  soon  as 
the  pillaged  property  should  be  restored.  Several  savages  im 
mediately  started  off  in  different  directions,  and  before  night 
the  rifles  of  Crooks  and  Day  were  produced ;  several  of  the 
smaller  articles  pilfered  from  them,  however,  could  not  be 
recovered. 

The  bands  of  the  culprits  were  then  removed,  and  they  lost 
no  time  in  taking  their  departure,  still  under  the  influence  of 
abject  terror,  and  scarcely  crediting  their  senses  that  they  had 
escaped  the  merited  punishment  of  their  offences. 

The  country  on  each  side  of  the  river  now  began  to  assume 
a  different  character.  The  hills,  and  cliffs,  and  forests,  dis 
appeared  ;  vast  sandy  plains,  scantily  clothed  here  and  there 
with  short  tufts  of  grass,  parched  by  the  summer  sun,  stretched 
far  away  to  the  north  and  south.  The  river  was  occasionally 
obstructed  with  rocks  and  rapids,  but  often  there  were  smooth 
placid  intervals,  where  the  current  was  gentle,  and  the  boat 
men  were  enabled  to  lighten  their  labors  with  the  assistance 
of  the  sail. 

The  natives  in  this  part  of  the  river  resided  entirely  on  the 


116  NEST    OF   RATTLESNAKES. 

northern  side.  They  were  hunters,  as  well  as  fishermen,  and 
had  horses  in  plenty.  Some  of  these  were  purchased  by  the 
party,  as  provisions,  and  killed  on  the  spot,  though  they  occa 
sionally  found  a  difficulty  in  procuring  fuel  wherewith  to  cook 
them.  One  of  the  greatest  dangers  that  beset  the  travellers 
in  this  part  of  their  expedition,  was  the  vast  number  of  rattle 
snakes  which  infested  the  rocks  about  the  rapids  and  portages, 
and  on  which  the  men  were  in  danger  of  treading.  They 
were  often  found,  too,  in  quantities  about  the  encampments. 
In  one  place,  a  nest  of  them  lay  coiled  together,  basking  in 
the  sun.  Several  guns  loaded  with  shot  were  discharged  at 
them,  and  thirty-seven  killed  and  wounded.  To  prevent  any 
unwelcome  visits  from  them  in  the  night,  tobacco  was  occa 
sionally  strewed  around  the  tents,  a  weed  for  which  they  have 
a  very  proper  abhorrence. 

On  the  28th  of  July  the  travellers  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Wallah-Wallah,  a  bright,  clear  stream,  about  six  feet  deep, 
and  fifty-five  yards  wide,  which  flows  rapidly  over  a  bed  of 
sand  and  gravel,  and  throws  itself  into  the  Columbia,  a  few 
miles  below  Lewis  river.  Here  the  combined  parties  that  had 
thus  far  voyaged  together,  were  to  separate,  each  for  its  par 
ticular  destination. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Wallah- Wallah  lived  the  hospitable 
tribe  of  the  same  name  who  had  succored  Mr.  Crooks  and 
John  Day  in  the  time  of  their  extremity.  No  sooner  did 
they  hear  of  the  arrival  of  the  party,  than  they  hastened  to 
greet  them.  They  built  a  great  bonfire  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  before  the  camp,  and  men  and  women  danced  round  it 
to  the  cadence  of  their  songs,  in  which  they  sang  the  praises 
of  the  white  men,  and  welcomed  them  to  their  country. 

On  the  following  day  a  traffic  was  commenced,  to  procure 
horses  for  such  of  the  party  as  intended  to  proceed  by  land. 


WALLAH-WALLAH    HORSEMEN.  117 

The  Wallah- Wallahs  are  an  equestrian  tribe.  The  equipments 
of  their  horses  were  rude  and  inconvenient.  High  saddles, 
roughly  made  of  deer  skin,  stuffed  with  hair,  which  chafe  the 
horse's  back,  and  leave  it  raw ;  wooden  stirrups,  with  a  thong 
of  raw  hide  wrapped  round  them ;  and  for  bridles  they  have 
cords  of  twisted  horse  hair,  which  they  tie  round  the  under 
jaw.  They  are  like  most  Indians,  bold,  but  hard  riders,  and 
when  on  horseback  gallop  about  the  most  dangerous  places, 
without  fear  for  themselves,  or  pity  for  their  steeds. 

From  these  people  Mr.  Stuart  purchased  twenty  horses  for 
his  party ;  some  for  the  saddle,  and  others  to  transport  the 
baggage.  He  was  fortunate  in  procuring  a  noble  animal  for 
his  own  use,  which  was  praised  by  the  Indians  for  its  great 
speed  and  bottom,  and  a  high  price  set  upon  it.  No  people 
understand  better  the  value  of  a  horse,  than  these  equestrian 
tribes ;  and  no  where  is  speed  a  greater  requisite,  as  they 
frequently  engage  in  the  chase  of  the  antelope,  one  of  the 
fleetest  of  animals.  Even  after  the  Indian  who  sold  this 
boasted  horse  to  Mr.  Stuart  had  conclued  his  bargain,  he 
lingered  about  the  animal,  seeming  loth  to  part  from  him,  and 
to  be  sorry  for  what  he  had  done. 

A  day  or  two  were  employed  by  Mr.  Stuart  in  arranging 
packages  and  pack  saddles,  and  making  other  preparations  for 
his  long  and  arduous  journey.  His  party,  by  the  loss  of  John 
Day,  was  now  reduced  to  six,  a  small  number  for  such  an 
expedition.  They  were  young  men,  however,  full  of  courage, 
health,  and  good  spirits,  and  stimulated,  rather  than  appalled 
by  danger. 

On  the  morning  of  the  31st  of  July,  all  preparation  being 
concluded,  Mr.  Stuart  and  his  little  band  mounted  their  steeds 
and  took  a  farewell  of  their  fellow  travellers,  who  gave  them 
three  hearty  cheers  as  they  set  out  on  their  dangerous  journey. 


118  DISTANT   MOUNTAINS. 

The  course  they  took  was  to  the  southeast,  towards  the  fated 
region  of  the  Snake  river.  At  an  immense  distance  rose  a 
chain  of  craggy  mountains,  which  they  would  have  to  traverse ; 
they  were  the  same  among  which  the  travellers  had  expe 
rienced  such  sufferings  from  cold  during  the  preceding  winter, 
and  from  their  azure  tints,  when  seen  at  a  distance,  had  re 
ceived  the  name  of  the  Blue  mountains. 


SUNBURNT   HILLS.  119 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

ROUTE  OF  MR.  STUART — DREARY  WILDS — THIRSTY  TRAVELLING — A  GROVE 
AND  STREAMLET THE  BLUE  MOUNTAINS A  FERTILE  PLAIN  WITH  RIVU 
LETS SULPHUR  SPRING ROUTE  ALONG  SNAKE  RIVER RUMORS  OF 

WHITE  MEN THE  SNAKE  AND  HIS  HORSE A  SNAKE  GUIDE A  MIDNIGHT 

DECAMPMENT UNEXPECTED  MEETING  WITH   OLD   COMRADES STORY  OF 

TRAPPER'S    HARDSHIPS — SALMON   FALLS — A  GREAT   FISHERY — MODE   OF 

SPEARING  SALMON ARRIVAL  AT  THE   CALDRON  LlNN STATE   OF   THE 

CACHES NEW  RESOLUTION  OF  THE  THREE  KENTUCKY  TRAPPERS. 

IN  retracing  the  route  which  had  proved  so  disastrous  to  Mr. 
Hunt's  party  during  the  preceding  winter,  Mr.  Stuart  had 
trusted,  in  the  present  more  favorable  season,  to  find  easy 
travelling  and  abundant  supplies.  On  these  great  wastes  and 
wilds,  however,  each  season  has  its  peculiar  hardships.  The 
travellers  had  not  preceded  far,  before  they  found  themselves 
among  naked  and  arid  hills,  with  a  soil  composed  of  sand  and 
clay,  baked  and  brittle,  that  to  all  appearance  had  never  been 
visited  by  the  dews  of  heaven. 

Not  a  spring,  or  pool,  or  running  stream  was  to  be  seen; 
the  sunburnt  country  was  seamed  and  cut  up  by  dry  ravines, 
the  beds  of  winter  torrents,  serving  only  to  balk  the  hopes 
of  man  and  beast,  with  the  sight  of  dusty  channels  where 
water  had  once  poured  along  in  floods. 

For  a  long  summer  day  they  continued  onward  without 
halting ;  a  burning  sky  above  their  heads,  a  parched  desert 


120  THE    UMATALLA. 

beneath  their  feet,  with  just  wind  enough  to  raise  the  light 
sand  from  the  knolls,  and  envelope  them  in  stifling  clouds. 
The  sufferings  from  thirst  became  intense ;  a  fine  young  dog, 
their  only  companion  of  the  kind,  gave  out,  and  expired. 
Evening  drew  on  without  any  prospect  of  relief,  and  they  were 
almost  reduced  to  despair,  when  they  descried  something  that 
looked  like  a  fringe  of  forest,  along  the  horizon.  All  were 
inspired  with  new  hope,  for  they  knew  that  on  these  arid 
wastes,  in  the  neighborhood  of  trees,  there  is  always  water. 

They  now  quickened  their  pace ;  the  horses  seemed  to 
understand  their  motives,  and  to  partake  of  their  anticipations, 
for,  though  before,  almost  ready  to  give  out,  they  now  required 
neither  whip  nor  spur.  With  all  their  exertions,  it  was  late 
in  the  night  before  they  drew  near  to  the  trees.  As  they 
approached,  they  heard,  with  transport,  the  rippling  of  a  shal 
low  stream.  No  sooner  did  the  refreshing  sound  reach  the 
ears  of  the  horses,  than  the  poor  animals  snuffed  the  air, 
rushed  forward  with  ungovernable  eagerness,  and,  plunging 
their  muzzles  into  the  water,  drank  until  they  seemed  in  dan 
ger  of  bursting.  Their  riders  had  but  little  more  discretion, 
and  required  repeated  draughts  to  quench  their  excessive 
thirst.  Their  weary  march  that  day  had  been  forty-five  miles, 
over  a  tract  that  might  rival  the  deserts  of  Africa  for  aridity. 
Indeed,  the  sufferings  of  the  traveller  on  these  American 
deserts,  is  frequently  more  severe  than  in  the  wastes  of  Africa 
or  Asia,  from  being  less  habituated  and  prepared  to  cope 
with  them. 

On  the  banks  of  this  blessed  stream  the  travellers  encamped 
for  the  night ;  and  so  great  had  been  their  fatigue,  and  so  sound 
and  sweet  was  their  sleep,  that  it  was  a  late  hour  the  next 
morning  before  they  awoke.  They  now  recognized  the  little 
river  to  be  the  Umatalla,  the  same  on  the  banks  of  which 


THE    BLUE    MOUNTAINS.  .121 

Mr.  Hunt  and  his  followers  had  arrived  after  their  painful 
struggle  through  the  Blue  mountains,  and  experienced  such 
a  kind  relief  in  the  friendly  camp  of  the  Sciatogas. 

That  range  of  Blue  mountains  now  extended  in  the  distance 
before  them ;  they  were  the  same  among  which  poor  Michael 
Carriere  had  perished.  They  form  the  southeast  boundary 
of  the  great  plains  along  the  Columbia,  dividing  the  waters 
of  its  main  stream  from  those  of  Lewis  river.  They  are,  in 
fact,  a  part  of  a  long  chain,  which  stretches  over  a  great  extent 
of  country,  and  includes  in  its  links  the  Snake  river  mountains. 

The  day  was  somewhat  advanced  before  the  travellers  left 
the  shady  banks  of  the  Umatalla.  Their  route  gradually  took 
them  among  the  Blue  mountains,  which  assumed  the  most 
rugged  aspect  on  a  near  approach.  They  were  shagged  with 
dense  and  gloomy  forests,  and  cut  up  by  deep  and  precipitous 
ravines,  extremely  toilsome  to  the  horses.  Sometimes  the 
travellers  had  to  follow  the  course  of  some  brawling  stream, 
with  a  broken,  rocky  bed,  which  the  shouldering  cliffs  and 
promontories  on  either  side,  obliged  them  frequently  to  cross 
and  recross.  For  some  miles  they  struggled  forward  through 
these  savage  and  darkly  wooded  defiles,  when  all  at  once  the 
whole  landscape  changed,  as  if  by  magic.  The  rude  moun 
tains  and  rugged  ravines  softened  into  beautiful  hills,  and  inter 
vening  meadows,  with  rivulets  winding  through  fresh  herbage, 
and  sparkling  and  murmuring  over  gravelly  beds,  the  whole 
forming  a  verdant  and  pastoral  scene,  which  derived  additional 
charms  from  being  locked  up  in  the  bosom  of  such  a  hard 
hearted  region. 

Emerging  from  the  chain  of  Blue  mountains,  they  descended 
upon  a  vast  plain,  almost  a  dead  level,  sixty  miles  in  circum 
ference,  of  excellent  soil,  with  fine  streams  meandering  through 

it  in  every  direction,  their  courses  marked  out  in  the  wide 
VOL.  n.  I       11 


122  A    SULPHUR    SPRING. 

landscape,  by  serpentine  lines  of  cotton-wood  trees,  and  wil 
lows,  which  fringed  their  banks,  and  afforded  sustenance  to 
great  numbers  of  beavers  and  otters. 

In  traversing  this  plain,  they  passed,  close  to  the  skirts  of 
the  hills,  a  great  pool  of  water,  three  hundred  yards  in  circum 
ference,  fed  by  a  sulphur  spring,  about  ten  feet  in  diameter, 
boiling  up  in  one  corner.  The  vapor  from  this  pool  was 
extremely  noisome,  and  tainted  the  air  for  a  considerable  dis 
tance.  The  place  was  much  frequented  by  elk,  which  were 
found  in  considerable  numbers  in  the  adjacent  mountains,  and 
their  horns,  shed  in  the  spring  time,  were  strewed  in  every 
direction  around  the  pond. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  they  reached  the  main  body  of  Wood 
pile  creek,  the  same  stream  which  Mr.  Hunt  had  ascended  in 
the  preceding  year,  shortly  after  his  separation  from  Mr.  Crooks. 

On  the  banks  of  this  stream  they  saw  a  herd  of  nineteen 
antelopes ;  a  sight  so  unusual  in  that  part  of  the  country,  that 
at  first  they  doubted  the  evidence  of  their  senses.  They  tried 
by  every  means  to  get  within  shot  of  them,  but  they  were  too 
shy  and  fleet,  and  after  alternately  bounding  to  a  distance,  and 
then  stopping  to  gaze  with  capricious  curiosity  at  the  hunter, 
they  at  length  scampered  out  of  sight. 

On  the  12th  of  August,  the  travellers  arrived  on  the  banks 
of  Snake  river,  the  scene  of  so  many  trials  and  mishaps  to 
all  of  the  present  party  excepting  Mr.  Stuart.  They  struck 
the  river  just  above  the  place  where  it  entered  the  mountains, 
through  which  Messrs.  Stuart  and  Crooks  had  vainly  endeav 
ored  to  find  a  passage.  The  river  was  here  a  rapid  stream 
four  hundred  yards  in  width,  with  high  sandy  banks,  and  here 
and  there  a  scanty  growth  of  willow.  Up  the  southern  side 
of  the  river  they  now  bent  their  course,  intending  to  visit  the 
caches  made  by  Mr.  Hunt  at  the  Caldron  Linn. 


NEWS    OF    STRAGGLERS.  123 

On  the  second  evening,  a  solitary  Snake  Indian  visited 
their  camp,  at  a  late  hour,  and  informed  them  that  there  was 
a  white  man  residing  at  one  of  the  encampments  of  his  tribe, 
about  a  day's  journey  higher  up  the  river.  It  was  immediately 
concluded,  that  he  must  be  one  of  the  poor  fellows  of  Mr. 
Hunt's  party,  who  had  given  out,  exhausted  by  hunger  and 
and  fatigue,  in  the  wretched  journey  of  the  preceding  winter. 
All  present,  who  had  borne  a  part  in  the  sufferings  of  that 
journey,  were  eager  now  to  press  forward,  and  bring  relief 
to  a  lost  comrade.  Early  the  next  morning,  therefore,  they 
pushed  forward  with  unusual  alacrity.  For  two  days,  how 
ever,  did  they  travel  without  being  able  to  find  any  trace  of 
such  a  straggler. 

On  the  evening  of  the  second  day,  they  arrived  at  a  place 
where  a  large  river  came  in  from  the  east,  which  was  re 
nowned  among  all  the  wandering  hordes  of  the  Snake  nation, 
for  its  salmon  fishery,  that  fish  being  taken  in  incredible  quan 
tities  in  this  neighborhood.  Here,  therefore,  during  the  fishing 
season,  the  Snake  Indians  resort  from  far  and  near,  to  lay  in 
their  stock  of  salmon,  which,  with  esculent  roots,  forms  the 
principal  food  of  the  inhabitants  of  these  barren  regions. 

On  the  bank  of  a  small  stream  emptying  into  Snake  river 
at  this  place,  Mr.  Stuart  found  an  encampment  of  Shoshonies. 
He  made  the  usual  inquiry  of  them  concerning  the  white  man 
of  whom  he  had  received  intelligence.  No  such  person  was 
dwelling  among  them,  but  they  said  there  were  white  men 
residing  with  some  of  their  nation  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  This  was  still  more  animating  information.  Mr.  Crooks 
now  hoped  that  these  might  be  the  men  of  his  party,  who, 
disheartened  by  perils  and  hardships,  had  preferred  to  remain 
among  the  Indians.  Others  thought  they  might  be  Mr.  Miller 
and  the  hunters  who  had  left  the  main  body  at  Henry's  fort, 


124      MEETING  BETWEEN  AN  INDIAN  AND  HIS  HORSE. 

to  trap  among  the  mountain  streams.  Mr.  Stuart  halted,  there 
fore,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Shoshonie  lodges,  and  sent  an 
Indian  across  the  river  to  seek  out  the  white  men  in  question, 
and  bring  them  to  his  camp. 

The  travellers  passed  a  restless,  miserable  night.  The 
place  swarmed  with  myriads  of  musquitoes,  which,  with  their 
stings  and  their  music,  set  all  sleep  at  defiance.  The  morning 
dawn,  found  them  in  a  feverish,  irritable  mood,  and  their  spleen 
was  completely  aroused  by  the  return  of  the  Indian,  without 
any  intelligence  of  the  white  men.  They  now  considered 
themselves  the  dupes  of  Indian  falsehoods  and  resolved  to  put 
no  more  confidence  in  Snakes.  They  soon,  however,  forgot 
this  resolution.  In  the  course  of  the  morning,  an  Indian  came 
gallopping  after  them ;  Mr.  Stuart  waited  to  receive  him ;  no 
sooner  had  he  come  up,  than,  dismounting  and  throwing  his 
arms  round  the  neck  of  Mr.  Stuart's  horse,  he  began  to  kiss 
and  caress  the  animal,  who,  on  his  part,  seemed  by  no  means 
surprised  or  displeased  with  his  salutation.  Mr.  Stuart,  who 
valued  his  horse  highly,  was  somewhat  annoyed  by  these 
transports ;  the  cause  of  them  was  soon  explained.  The 
Snake  ~aid  the  horse  had  belonged  to  him,  and  been  the  best 
in  his  possession,  and  that  it  had  been  stolen  by  the  Wallah- 
Wallahs.  Mr.  Stuart  was  by  no  means  pleased  with  this 
recognition  of  his  steed,  nor  disposed  to  admit  any  claim  on 
the  part  of  its  ancient  owner.  In  fact,  it  was  a  noble  animal, 
admirably  shaped,  of  free  and  generous  spirit,  graceful  in  every 
movement,  and  fleet  as  an  antelope.  It  was  his  intention, 
if  possible,  to  take  the  horse  to  New  York,  and  present  him 
to  Mr.  Astor. 

In  the  meantime,  some  of  the  party  came  up,  and  immedi 
ately  recognized  in  the  Snake  an  old  friend  and  ally.  He 
was,  in  fact,  one  of  the  two  guides  who  had  conducted  Mr. 


THE  SNAKE  OF  MAD  RIVER.  125 

Hunt's  party,  in  the  preceding  autumn,  across  Mad  river  moun 
tain,  to  fort  Henry,  and  who  subsequently  departed  with  Mr. 
Miller  and  his  fellow  trappers,  to  conduct  them  to  a  good 
trapping  ground.  The  reader  may  recollect  that  these  two 
trusty  Snakes  were  engaged  by  Mr.  Hunt  to  return  and  take 
charge  of  the  horses  which  the  party  intended  to  leave  at  fort 
Henry,  when  they  should  embark  in  canoes. 

The  party  now  crowded  round  the  Snake,  and  began  to 
question  him  with  eagernesss.  His  replies  were  somewhat 
vague,  and  but  partially  understood.  He  told  a  long  story 
about  the  horses,  from  which  it  appeared  that  they  had  been 
stolen  by  various  wandering  bands,  and  scattered  in  different 
directions.  The  cache,  too,  had  been  plundered,  and  the 
saddles  and  other  equipments  carried  off.  His  information  con 
cerning  Mr.  Miller  and  his  comrades,  was  not  more  satisfactory. 
They  had  trapped  for  some  time  about  the  upper  streams,  but 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  marauding  party  of  Crows,  who 
had  robbed  them  of  horses,  weapons,  and  every  thing. 

Further  questioning  brought  forth  further  intelligence,  but 
all  of  a  disastrous  kind.  About  ten  days  previously,  he  had 
met  with  three  other  white  men,  in  very  miserable  plight, 
having  one  horse  each,  and  but  one  rifle  among  them.  They 
also  had  been  plundered  and  maltreated  by  the  Crows,  those 
universal  freebooters.  The  Snake  endeavored  to  pronounce 
the  names  of  these  three  men,  and  as  far  as  his  imperfect 
sounds  could  be  understood,  they  were  supposed  to  be  three 
of  the  party  of  four  hunters,  viz.  Carson,  St.  Michael,  Detaye 
and  Delannay,  who  were  detached  from  Mr.  Hunt's  party  on 
the  28th  of  September,  to  trap  beaver  on  the  head  waters  of 
the  Columbia. 

In  the  course  of  conversation,  the  Indian  informed  them 

that  the  route  by  which  Mr.  Hunt  had  crossed  the  Rocky 

11* 


126  AN    ELOPEMENT. 

mountains,  was  very  bad  and  circuitous,  and  that  he  knew  one 
much  shorter  and  easier.  Mr.  Stuart  urged  him  to  accompany 
them  as  guide,  promising  to  reward  him  with  a  pistol  with 
powder  and  ball,  a  knife,  an  awl,  some  blue  beads,  a  blanket, 
and  a  looking-glass.  Such  a  catalogue  of  riches  was  too 
tempting  to  be  resisted;  beside,  the  poor  Snake  languished 
after  the  prairies ;  he  was  tired,  he  said,  of  salmon,  and  longed 
for  buffalo  meat,  and  to  have  a  grand  buffalo  hunt  beyond  the 
mountains.  He  departed,  therefore,  with  all  speed,  to  get  his 
arms  and  equipments  for  the  journey,  promising  to  rejoin  the 
party  the  next  day.  He  kept  his  word,  and,  as  he  no  longer 
said  any  thing  to  Mr.  Stuart  on  the  subject  of  the  pet  horse, 
they  journeyed  very  harmoniously  together ;  though  now  and 
then,  the  Snake  would  regard  his  quondam  steed  with  a 
wistful  eye. 

They  had  not  travelled  many  miles,  when  they  came  to  a 
great  bend  of  the  river.  Here  the  Snake  informed  them  that, 
by  cutting  across  the  hills  they  would  save  many  miles  of 
distance.  The  route  across,  however,  would  be  a  good  day's 
journey.  He  advised  them,  therefore,  to  encamp  here  for  the 
night,  and  set  off  early  in  the  morning.  They  took  his  advice, 
though  they  had  come  but  nine  miles  that  day. 

On  the  following  morning  they  rose,  bright  and  early,  to 
ascend  the  hills.  On  mustering  their  little  party,  the  guide 
was  missing.  They  supposed  him  to  be  somewhere  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  proceeded  to  collect  the  horses.  The 
vaunted  steed  of  Mr.  Stuart  was  not  to  be  found.  A  suspicion 
flashed  upon  his  mind.  Search  for  the  horse  of  the  Snake ! — 
He  likewise  was  gone — the  tracks  of  two  horses,  one  after  the 
other,  were  found,  making  off  from  the  camp.  They  appeared 
as  if  one  horse  had  been  mounted,  and  the  other  led.  They 
were  traced  for  a  few  miles  above  the  camp,  until  they  both 


MEETING    WITH    LOST    COMRADES.  127 

crossed  the  river.  It  was  plain  the  Snake  had  taken  an  Indian 
mode  of  recovering  his  horse,  having  quietly  decamped  with 
him  in  the  night. 

New  vows  were  made  never  more  to  trust  in  Snakes,  or 
any  other  Indians.  It  was  determined,  also,  to  maintain,  here 
after,  the  strictest  vigilance  over  their  horses,  dividing  the 
night  into  three  watches,  and  one  person  mounting  guard  at  a 
time.  They  resolved,  also,  to  keep  along  the  river,  instead 
of  taking  the  short  cut  recommended  by  the  fugitive  Snake, 
whom  they  now  set  down  for  a  thorough  deceiver.  The  heat 
of  the  weather  was  oppressive,  and  their  horses  were,  at  times, 
rendered  almost  frantic  by  the  stings  of  the  prairie  flies.  The 
niglits  were  suffocating,  and  it  was  almost  impossible  to  sleep, 
from  the  swarms  of  musquitoes. 

On  the  20th  of  August  they  resumed  their  march,  keeping 
along  the  prairie  parallel  to  Snake  river.  The  day  was  sultry, 
and  some  of  the  party,  being  parched  with  thirst,  left  the  line 
of  march,  and  scrambled  down  the  bank  of  the  river  to  drink. 
The  bank  was  overhung  with  willows,  beneath  which,  to  their 
surprise,  they  beheld  a  man  fishing.  No  sooner  did  he  see 
them,  than  he  uttered  an  exclamation  of  joy.  It  proved  to  be 
John  Hoback,  one  of  their  lost  comrades.  They  had  scarcely 
exchanged  greetings,  Avhen  three  other  men  came  out  from 
among  the  willows.  They  were  Joseph  Miller,  Jacob  Rez- 
ner,  and  Robinson,  the  scalped  Kentuckian,  the  veteran  of 
the  Bloody  ground. 

The  reader  will  perhaps  recollect  the  abrupt  and  wilful  man 
ner  in  which  Mr.  Miller  threw  up  his  interest  as  a  partner  of 
the  company,  and  departed  from  Fort  Henry,  in  company  with 
these  three  trappers,  and  a  fourth,  named  Cass.  He  may  like 
wise  recognise  in  Robinson,  Rezner,  and  Hoback,  the  trio  of 
Kentucky  hunters,  who  had  originally  been  in  the  service  of 


128  MILLER   AND   Ills    MEN. 

Mr.  Henry,  and  whom  Mr.  Hunt  found  floating  down  the  Mis 
souri,  on  their  way  homeward ;  and  prevailed  upon,  once  more, 
to  cross  the  mountains.  The  haggard  looks  and  naked  condi 
tion  of  these  men  proved  how  much  they  had  suffered.  After 
leaving  Mr.  Hunt's  party,  they  had  made  their  way  about  two 
hundred  miles  to  the  southward,  where  they  trapped  beaver  on 
a  river  which,  according  to  their  account,  discharged  itself  into 
the  ocean  to  the  south  of  the  Columbia,  but  which  we  appre 
hend  to  be  Bear  river,  a  stream  emptying  itself  into  lake 
Bonneville,  an  immense  body  of  salt  water,  west  of  the  Rocky 
mountains. 

Having  collected  a  considerable  quantity  of  beaver  skins, 
they  made  them  into  packs,  loaded  their  horses,  and  steeied 
two  hundred  miles  due  east.  Here  they  came  upon  an  en 
campment  of  sixty  lodges  of  Arapahays,  an  outlawed  band  of 
the  Arapahoes,  and  notorious  robbers.  These  fell  upon  the 
poor  trappers  ;  robbed  them  of  their  peltries,  most  of  their 
clothing,  and  several  of  their  horses.  They  were  glad  to 
escape  with  their  lives,  and  without  being  entirely  stripped, 
and  after  proceeding  about  fifty  miles  further,  made  their  halt 
for  the  winter. 

Early  in  the  spring  they  resumed  their  wayfaring,  but  were 
unluckily  overtaken  by  the  same  ruffian  horde,  who  levied  still 
further  contributions,  and  carried  off  the  remainder  of  their 
horses,  excepting  two.  With  these  they  continued  on,  suffer 
ing  the  greatest  hardships.  They  still  retained  rifles  and 
ammuiwtion,  but  were  in  a  desert  country,  where  neither  bird 
nor  beast  was  to  be  found.  Their  only  chance  was  to  keep 
along  the  rivers  and  subsist  by  fishing ;  but  at  times,  no  fish 
were  to  be  taken,  and  then  their  sufferings  were  horrible.  One 
of  their  horses  was  stolen  among  the  mountains  by  the  Snake 
Indians ;  the  other,  they  said,  was  carried  off  by  Cass,  who, 


MILLER   AND    HIS    MEN.  129 

according  to  their  account,  "  villainously  left  them  in  their 
extremities."  Certain  dark  doubts  and  surmises  were  after 
wards  circulated  concerning  the  fate  of  that  poor  fellow,  which, 
if  true,  showed  to  what  a  desperate  state  of  famine  his 
comrades  had  been  reduced. 

Being  now  completely  unhorsed,  Mr.  Miller  and  his  three 
companions,  wandered  on  foot  for  several  hundred  miles, 
enduring  hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue,  while  traversing  the  bar 
ren  wastes  which  abound  beyond  the  Rocky  mountains.  At 
the  time  they  were  discovered  by  Mr.  Stuart's  party,  they  were 
almost  famished,  and  were  fishing  for  a  precarious  meal.  Had 
Mr.  Stuart  made  the  short  cut  across  the  hills,  avoiding  this 
bend  of  the  river,  or  had  not  some  of  his  party  accidentally 
gone  down  to  the  margin  of  the  stream  to  drink,  these  poor 
wanderers  might  have  remained  undiscovered,  and  have  pe 
rished  in  the  wilderness.  Nothing  could  exceed  their  joy  on 
thus  meeting  with  their  old  comrades,  or  the  heartiness  with 
which  they  were  welcomed.  All  hands  immediately  encamp 
ed  ;  and  the  slender  stores  of  the  party  were  ransacked  to 
furnish  out  a  suitable  regale. 

The  next  morning  they  all  set  out  together ;  Mr.  Miller  and 
his  comrades  being  resolved  to  give  up  the  life  of  a  trapper, 
and  accompany  Mr.  Stuart  back  to  St.  Louis. 

For  several  days  they  kept  along  the  course  of  Snake  river, 
occasionally  making  short  cuts  across  hills  and  promontories, 
where  there  were  bends  in  the  stream.  In  their  way  they 
passed  several  camps  of  Shoshonies,  from  some  of  whom  they 
procured  salmon,  but  in  general  they  were  too  wretchedly  poor 
to  furnish  any  thing.  It  was  the  wish  of  Mr.  Stuart  to  pur 
chase  horses  for  the  recent  recruits  to  his  party ;  but  the 
Indians  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  part  with  any,  alleging 
that  they  had  not  enough  for  their  own  use. 


130  THE    SALMON   FALLS. 

On  the  25th  of  August  they  reached  a  great  fishing  place,  to 
which  they  gave  the  name  of  the  Salmon  Falls.  Here  there 
is  a  perpendicular  fall  of  twenty  feet  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river,  while  on  the  south  side  there  is  a  succession  of  rapids. 
The  salmon  are  taken  here  in  incredible  quantities,  as  they 
attempt  to  shoot  the  falls.  It  was  now  a  favorable  season,  and 
there  where  about  one  hundred  lodges  of  Shoshonies  busily 
engaged  killing  and  drying  fish.  The  salmon  begin  to  leap, 
shortly  after  sunrise.  At  this  time  the  Indians  swim  to  the 
centre  of  the  falls,  where  some  station  themselves  on  rocks, 
and  others  stand  to  their  waists  in  the  water,  all  armed  with 
spears,  with  which  they  assail  the  salmon  as  they  attempt  to 
leap,  or  fall  back  exhausted.  It  is  an  incessant  slaughter,  so 
great  is  the  throng  of  the  fish. 

The  construction  of  the  spears  thus  used  is  peculiar.  The 
head  is  a  straight  piece  of  elk  horn,  about  seven  inches  long  ; 
on  the  point  of  which  an  artificial  barb  is  made  fast,  with  twine 
well  gummed.  The  head  is  stuck  on  the  end  of  the  shaft,  a 
very  long  pole  of  willow,  to  which  it  is  likewise  connected, 
by  a  strong  cord  a  few  inches  in  length.  When  the  spearsman 
makes  a  sure  blow,  he  often  strikes  the  head  of  the  spear 
through  the  body  of  the  fish.  It  comes  off  easily,  and  leaves 
the  salmon  struggling  with  the  string  through  its  body,  while 
the  pole  is  still  held  by  the  spearsman.  Were  it  not  for  the 
precaution  of  the  string,  the  willow  shaft  would  be  snapped  by 
the  struggles  and  the  weight  of  the  fish.  Mr.  Miller,  in  the 
course  of  his  wanderings,  had  been  at  these  falls,  and  had 
seen  several  thousand  salmon  taken  in  the  course  of  one  after 
noon.  He  declared  that  he  had  seen  a  salmon  leap  a  dis 
tance  of  about  thirty  feet,  from  the  commencement  of  the  foam 
at  the  foot  of  the  fall,  completely  to  the  top. 

Having  purchased  a  good  supply  of  salmon  from  the  fisher- 


ARRIVAL  AT  THE  CACHES.  131 

men,  the  party  resumed  their  journey,  and  on  the  twenty-ninth, 
arrived  at  the  Caldron  Linn ;  the  eventful  scene  of  the  pre 
ceding  autumn.  Here,  the  first  thing  that  met  their  eyes,  was 
a  memento  of  the  perplexities  of  that  period  :  the  wreck  of  a 
canoe,  lodged  between  two  ledges  of  rocks.  They  endeavored 
to  get  down  to  it,  but  the  river  banks  were  too  high  and 
precipitous. 

They  now  proceeded  to  that  part  of  the  neighborhood  where 
Mr.  Hunt  and  his  party  had  made  the  caches,  intending  to  take 
from  them  such  articles  as  belonged  to  Mr.  Crooks,  M'Lellan, 
and  the  Canadians.  On  reaching  the  spot,  they  found,  to  their 
astonishment,  six  of  the  caches  open  and  rifled  of  their  con 
tents,  excepting  a  few  books  which  lay  scattered  about  the 
vicinity.  They  had  the  appearance  of  having  been  plundered 
in  the  course  of  the  summer.  There  were  tracks  of  wolves  in 
every  direction,  to  and  from  the  holes,  from  which  Mr.  Stuart 
concluded  that  these  animals  had  first  been  attracted  to  the 
place  by  the  smell  of  the  skins  contained  in  the  caches,  which 
they  had  probably  torn  up,  and  that  their  tracks  had  betrayed 
the  secret  to  the  Indians. 

The  three  remaining  caches,  had  not  been  molested  :  they 
contained  a  few  dry  goods,  some  ammunition,  and  a  number  of 
beaver  traps.  From  these,  Mr.  Stuart  took  whatever  was 
requisite  for  his  party ;  he  then  deposited  within  them  all  his 
superfluous  baggage,  and  all  the  books  and  papers  scattered 
around  ;  the  holes  were  then  carefully  closed  up,  and  all  traces 
of  them  effaced.  And  here  we  have  to  record  another  instance 
of  the  indomitable  spirit  of  the  western  trappers.  No  sooner 
did  the  trio  of  Kentucky  hunters,  Robinson,  Rezner,  and  Ho- 
back,  find  that  they  could  once  more  be  fitted  out  for  a  cam 
paign  of  beaver  trapping,  than  they  forgot  all  that  they  had 
suffered,  and  determined  upon  another  trial  of  their  fortunes ; 


132          THE  PERSEVERING  TRAPPERS. 

preferring  to  take  their  chance  in  the  wilderness,  rather  than 
return  home  ragged  and  penniless.  As  to  Mr.  Miller,  he  de 
clared  his  curiosity  and  his  desire  of  travelling  through  the 
Indian  countries,  fully  satisfied  ;  he  adhered  to  his  determina 
tion,  therefore,  to  keep  on  with  the  party  to  St.  Louis,  and  to 
return  to  the  bosom  of  civilized  society. 

The  three  hunters,  therefore,  Robinson,  Rezner,  and  Ho- 
back,  were  furnished,  as  far  as  the  caches  and  the  means  of 
Mr.  Stuart's  party  afforded,  with  the  requisite  munitions  and 
equipments  for  a  "  two  years' hunt";  but  as  their  fitting  out 
was  yet  incomplete,  they  resolved  to  wait  in  this  neighbor 
hood  until  Mr.  Reed  should  arrive  ;  whose  arrival  might  soon 
be  expected,  as  he  was  to  set  out  for  the  caches  about  twenty 
days  after  Mr.  Stuart  parted  with  him  at  the  Wallah- Wallah 
river. 

Mr.  Stuart  gave  in  charge  to  Robinson  a  letter  to  Mr.  Reed, 
reporting  his  safe  journey  thus  far,  and  the  state  in  which  he 
had  found  the  caches.  A  duplicate  of  this  letter  he  elevated 
on  a  pole,  and  set  it  up  near  the  place  of  deposit. 

All  things  being  thus  arranged,  Mr.  Stuart  and  his  little 
band,  now  seven  in  number,  took  leave  of  the  three  hardy 
trappers,  wishing  them  all  possible  success  in  their  lonely 
and  perilous  sojourn  in  the  wilderness ;  and  we,  in  like  man 
ner,  shall  leave  them  to  their  fortunes,  promising  to  take  them 
up  again  at  some  future  page,  and  to  close  the  story  of  their 
persevering  and  ill-fated  enterprise. 


SNAKE    RIVER   DESERTS.  133 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE  SNAKE  RIVER  DESERTS — SCANTY  FARE — BEWILDERED  TRAVELLERS — 
PROWLING  INDIANS — A  GIANT  CROW  CHIEF — A  BULLY  REBUKED — INDIAN 

SIGNALS SMOKE    ON    THE    MOUNTAINS MAD    RIVER AN   ALARM AN   IN 
DIAN    FORAY A     SCAMPER A     RUDE      INDIAN     JOKE A    SHARP     SHOOTER 

BALKED  OF  HIS  SHOT. 

ON  the  1st  of  September,  Mr.  Stuart  and  his  companions 
resumed  their  journey,  bending  their  course  eastward,  along 
the  course  of  Snake  river.  As  they  advanced,  the  country 
opened.  The  hills  which  had  hemmed  in  the  river  receded 
on  either  hand,  and  great  sandy  and  dusty  plains  extended 
before  them.  Occasionally,  there  were  intervals  of  pasturage, 
and  the  banks  of  the  river  were  fringed  with  willows  and 
cotton  wood,  so  that  its  course  might  be  traced  from  the  hill 
tops,  winding  under  an  umbrageous  covert,  through  a  wide 
sunburnt  landscape.  The  soil,  however,  was  generally  poor  ; 
there  was,  in  some  places  a  miserable  growth  of  wormwood, 
and  of  a  plant  called  saltweed,  resembling  pennyroyal ;  but 
the.  summer  heat  had  parched  the  plains,  and  left  but  little 
pasturage.  The  game  too  had  disappeared.  The  hunter 
looked  in  vain  over  the  lifeless  landscape ;  now  and  then  a 
few  antelope  might  be  seen,  but  not  within  reach  of  the  rifle. 
We  forbear  to  follow  the  travellers  in  a  week's  wandering  over 
these  barren  wastes,  where  they  suffered  much  from  hunger  ; 

having  to  depend  upon  a  few  fish  from  the  streams,  and  now 
VOL.  n.  12 


134  A   CROW    GIANT   AND   HIS    GANG. 

and  then  a  little  dried  salmon,  or  a  dog,  procured  from  some 
forlorn  lodge  of  Shoshonies. 

Tired  of  these  cheerless  wastes,  they  left  the  banks  of 
Snake  river  on  the  7th  of  September,  under  guidance  of  Mr. 
Miller,  who,  having  acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  country 
during  his  trapping  campaign,  undertook  to  conduct  them 
across  the  mountains  by  a  better  route  than  that  by  Fort 
Henry,  and  one  more  out  of  the  range  of  the  Blackfeet.  He 
proved,  however,  but  an  indifferent  guide,  and  they  soon 
became  bewildered  among  rugged  hills  and  unknown  streams, 
and  burnt  and  barren  prairies. 

At  length  they  came  to  a  river  on  which  Mr.  Miller  had 
trapped,  and  to  which  they  gave  his  name  ;  though,  as  before 
observed,  we  presume  it  to  be  the  same  called  Bear  river, 
which  empties  itself  into  lake  Bonneville.  Up  this  river  and 
its  branches  they  kept  for  two  or  three  days,  supporting  them 
selves  precariously  upon  fish.  They  soon  found  that  they 
were  in  a  dangerous  neighborhood.  On  the  12th  of  Septem 
ber,  having  encamped  early,  they  sallied  forth  with  their  rods 
to  angle  for  their  supper.  On  returning,  they  beheld  a  number 
of  Indians  prowling  about  their  camp,  whom,  to  their  infinite 
disquiet,  they  soon  perceived  to  be  Upsarokas,  or  Crows. 
Their  chief  came  forward  with  a  confident  air.  He  was  a 
dark  herculean  fellow,  full  six  feet  four  inches  in  height,  with 
a  mingled  air  of  the  ruffian  and  the  rogue.  He  conducted 
himself  peaceably,  however,  and  despatched  some  of  his 
people  to  their  camp,  which  was  somewhere  in  the  neigh 
borhood,  from  whence  they  returned  with  a  most  acceptable 
supply  of  buffalo  meat.  He  now  signified  to  Mr.  Stuart  that 
he  was  going  to  trade  with  the  Snakes,  who  reside  on  the 
west  base  of  the  mountains,  below  Henry's  fort.  Here  they 
cultivate  a  delicate  kind  of  tobacco,  much  esteemed  and  sought 


A   MODEST    DEMAND.  135 

after  by  the  mountain  tribes.  There  was  something  sinister, 
however,  in  the  look  of  this  Indian,  that  inspired  distrust.  By 
degrees,  the  number  of  his  people  increased,  until,  by  mid 
night,  there  were  twenty-one  of  them  about  the  camp,  who 
began  to  be  impudent  and  troublesome.  The  greatest  uneasi 
ness  was  now  felt  for  the  safety  of  the  horses  and  effects,  and 
every  one  kept  vigilant  watch  throughout  the  night. 

The  morning  dawned,  however,  without  any  unpleasant 
occurrence,  and  Mr.  Stuart,  having  purchased  all  the  buffalo 
meat  that  the  Crows  had  to  spare,  prepared  to  depart.  His 
Indian  acquaintance,  however,  were  disposed  for  further 
dealings  ;  and,  above  all,  anxious  for  a  supply  of  gunpowder, 
for  which  they  offered  horses  in  exchange.  Mr.  Stuart 
declined  to  furnish  them  with  the  dangerous  commodity. 
They  became  more  importunate  in  their  solicitations,  until 
they  met  with  a  flat  refusal. 

The  gigantic  chief  now  stepped  forward,  assumed  a  swell 
ing  air,  and,  slapping  himself  upon  the  breast,  gave  Mr.  Crooks 
to  understand  that  he  was  a  chief  of  great  power  and  import, 
ance.  He  signified,  further,  that  it  was  customary  for  great 
chiefs  when  they  met,  to  make  each  other  presents.  He 
requested,  therefore,  that  Mr.  Stuart  would  alight,  and  give 
him  the  horse  upon  which  he  was  mounted.  This  was  a 
noble  animal,  of  one  of  the  wild  races  of  the  prairies,  on 
which  Mr.  Stuart  set  great  value ;  he,  of  course,  shook  his 
head  at  the  request  of  the  Crow  dignitary.  Upon  this  the 
latter  strode  up  to  him,  and  taking  hold  of  him,  moved  him 
backwards  and  forwards  in  his  saddle,  as  if  to  make  him  feel 
that  he  was  a  mere  child  within  his  grasp.  Mr.  Stuart  pre 
served  his  calmness,  and  still  shook  his  head.  The  chief 
then  seized  the  bridle,  and  gave  it  a  jerk  that  startled  the 
horse,  and  nearly  brought  the  rider  to  the  ground.  Mr.  Stuart 


136  A   BULLY    REBUKED. 

instantly  drew  forth  a  pistol,  and  presented  it  at  the  head  of 
the  bully-ruffian.  In  a  twinkling,  his  swaggering  was  at  an 
end,  and  he  dodged  behind  his  horse  to  escape  the  expected 
shot.  As  his  subject  Crows  gazed  on  the  affray  from  a  little 
distance,  Mr.  Stuart  ordered  his  men  to  level  their  rifles  at 
them,  but  not  to  fire.  The  whole  crew  scampered  among  the 
bushes,  and  throwing  themselves  upon  the  ground,  vanished 
from  sight. 

The  chieftain  thus  left  alone,  was  confounded  for  an  instant ; 
but,  recovering  himself,  with  true  Indian  shrewdness,  burst 
into  a  loud  laugh,  and  affected  to  turn  off  the  whole  matter  as 
a  piece  of  pleasantry.  Mr.  Stuart  by  no  means  relished  such 
equivocal  joking,  but  it  was  not  his  policy  to  get  into  a  quarrel ; 
so  he  joined,  with  the  best  grace  he  could  assume,  in  the  mer 
riment  of  the  jocular  giant ;  and,  to  console  the  latter  for  the 
refusal  of  the  horse,  made  him  a  present  of  twenty  charges  of 
powder.  They  parted,  according  to  all  outward  professions, 
the  best  friends  in  the  world  ;  it  was  evident,  however,  that 
nothing  but  the  smallness  of  his  own  force,  and  the  martial 
array  and  alertness  of  the  white  men,  had  prevented  the  Crow 
chief  from  proceeding  to  open  outrage.  As  it  was,  his  worthy 
followers,  in  the  course  of  their  brief  interview,  had  contrived 
to  purloin  a  bag  containing  almost  all  the  culinary  utensils  of 
the  party. 

The  travellers  kept  on  their  way  due  east,  over  a  chain 
of  hills.  The  recent  rencontre  showed  them  that  they  were 
now  in  a  land  of  danger,  subject  to  the  wide  roamings  of  a 
predacious  tribe ;  nor,  in  fact,  had  they  gone  many  miles, 
before  they  beheld  sights  calculated  to  inspire  anxiety  and 
alarm.  From  the  summits  of  some  of  the  loftiest  mountains, 
in  different  directions,  columns  of  smoke  began  to  rise.  These 
they  concluded  to  be  signals  made  by  the  runners  of  the  Crow 


CROW    SIGNALS.  137 

chieftain,  to  summon  the  stragglers  of  his  band,  so  as  to  pursue 
them  with  greater  force.  Signals  of  this  kind,  made  by  out 
runners  from  one  central  point,  will  rouse  a  wide  circuit  of 
the  mountains  in  a  wonderfully  short  space  of  time  ;  and  bring 
the  straggling  hunters  and  warriors  to  the  standard  of  their 
chieftain. 

To  keep  as  much  as  possible  out  of  the  way  of  these  free 
booters,  Mr.  Stuart  altered  his  course  to  the  north,  and,  quitting 
the  main  stream  of  Miller's  river,  kept  up  a  large  branch  that 
came  in  from  the  mountains.  Here  they  encamped,  after  a 
fatiguing  march  of  twenty-five  miles.  As  the  night  drew  on, 
the  horses  were  hobbled,  or  fettered,  and  tethered  close  to  the 
camp  ;  a  vigilant  watch  was  maintained  until  morning,  and 
every  one  slept  with  his  rifle  on  his  arm. 

At  sunrise,  they  were  again  on  the  march,  still  keeping  to 
the  north.  They  soon  began  to  ascend  the  mountains,  and 
occasionally  had  wide  prospects  over  the  surrounding  country. 
Not  a  sign  of  a  Crow  was  to  be  seen  ;  but  this  did  not  assure 
them  of  their  security,  well  knowing  the  perseverance  of 
these  savages  in  dogging  any  party  they  intend  to  rob,  and  the 
stealthy  way  in  which  they  can  conceal  their  movements, 
keeping  along  ravines  and  defiles.  After  a  mountain  scramble 
of  twenty-one  miles,  they  encamped  on  the  margin  of  a  stream 
running  to  the  north. 

In  the  evening  there  was  an  alarm  of  Indians,  and  every 
one  was  instantly  on  the  alert.  They  proved  to  be  three 
miserable  Snakes,  who  were  no  sooner  informed  that  a  band 
of  Crows  was  prowling  in  the  neighborhood,  than  they  made 
off  with  great  signs  of  consternation. 

A  couple  more  of  weary  days  and  watchful  nights  brought 
them  to  a  strong  and  rapid  stream,  running  due  north,  which 

they  concluded  to  be  one  of  the  upper  branches  of  Snake  river. 

12* 


138  ENCAMPMENT    ON    MA.D   RIVER. 

It  was  probably  the  same  since  called  Salt  river.  They  deter 
mined  to  bend  their  course  down  this  river,  as  it  would  take 
them  still  further  out  of  the  dangerous  neighborhood  of  the 
Crows.  They  then  would  strike  upon  Mr.  Hunt's  track  of  the 
preceding  autumn,  and  retrace  it  across  the  mountains.  The 
attempt  to  find  a  better  route  under  guidance  of  Mr.  Miller  had 
cost  them  a  large  bend  to  the  south ;  in  resuming  Mr.  Hunt's 
track,  they  would  at  least  be  sure  of  their  road.  They  accor 
dingly  turned  down  along  the  course  of  this  stream,  and  at  the 
end  of  three  days'  journey,  came  to  where  it  was  joined  by  a 
larger  river,  and  assumed  a  more  impetuous  character,  raging 
and  roaring  among  rocks  and  precipices.  It  proved,  in  fact,  to 
be  Mad  river,  already  noted  in  the  expedition  of  Mr.  Hunt. 
On  the  banks  of  this  river,  they  encamped  on  the  1 8th  of  Sep 
tember,  at  an  early  hour. 

Six  days  had  now  elapsed  since  their  interview  with  the 
Crows,  during  that  time  they  had  come  nearly  a  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  to  the  north  and  west,  without  seeing  any  signs  of 
those  marauders.  They  considered  themselves,  therefore, 
beyond  the  reach  of  molestation,  and  began  to  relax  in  their 
vigilance,  lingering  occasionally  for  part  of  a  day,  where  there 
was  good  pasturage.  The  poor  horses  needed  repose.  They 
had  been  urged  on,  by  forced  marches,  over  rugged  heights, 
among  rocks  and  fallen  timber,  or  over  low  swampy  valleys, 
inundated  by  the  labors  of  the  beaver.  These  industrious 
animals  abounded  in  all  the  mountain  streams  and  water 
courses,  wherever  there  were  willows  for  their  subsistence. 
Many  of  them  they  had  so  completely  dammed  up  as  to  inun 
date  the  low  grounds,  making  shallow  pools  or  lakes,  and 
extensive  quagmires  :  by  which  the  route  of  the  travellers  was 
often  impeded. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  they  rose  at  early  dawn  ;  some 


A    SURPRISE.  139 

began  to  prepare  breakfast,  and  others  to  arrange  the  packs 
preparatory  to  a  march.  The  horses  had  been  hobbled,  but 
left  at  large  to  graze  about  the  adjacent  pastures.  Mr.  Stuart 
was  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
camp,  when  he  heard  the  alarm  cry — "  Indians  !  Indians ! — 
to  arras  !  to  arms ! " 

A  mounted  Crow  galloped  past  the  camp,  bearing  a  red  flag. 
He  reined  his  steed  on  the  summit  of  a  neighboring  knoll, 
and  waved  his  flaring  banner.  A  diabolical  yell  now  broke 
forth  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  camp,  beyond  where  the 
horses  were  grazing,  and  a  small  troop  of  savages  came  gal 
loping  up,  whooping  and  making  a  terrific  clamor.  The  horses 
took  fright,  and  dashed  across  the  camp  in  the  direction  of  the 
standard  bearer,  attracted  by  his  waving  flag.  He  instantly 
put  spurs  to  his  steed,  and  scoured  off,  followed  by  the  panic 
stricken  herd,  their  fright  being  increased  by  the  yells  of  the 
savages  in  their  rear. 

At  the  first  alarm,  Mr.  Stuart  and  his  comrades  had  seized 
their  rifles,  and  attempted  to  cut  off  the  Indians,  who  were 
pursuing  the  horses.  Their  attention  was  instantly  distracted 
by  whoops  and  yells  in  an  opposite  direction.  They  now 
apprehended  that  a  reserve  party  was  about  to  carry  off  their 
baggage.  They  ran  to  secure  it.  The  reserve  party,  how 
ever,  galloped  by,  whooping  and  yelling  in  triumph  and  deri 
sion.  The  last  of  them  proved  to  be  their  commander,  the 
identical  giant  joker  already  mentioned.  He  was  not  cast  in 
the  stern  poetical  mould  of  fashionable  Indian  heroism,  but 
on  the  contrary,  was  grievously  given  to  vulgar  jocularity.  As 
he  passed  Mr.  Stuart  and  his  companions,  he  checked  his 
horse,  raised  himself  in  the  saddle,  and  clapping  his  hand  on 
the  most  insulting  part  of  his  body,  uttered  some  jeering  words, 
which,  fortunately  for  their  delicacy,  they  could  not  under- 


140  THE    BALKED   MARKSMAN. 

stand.  The  rifle  of  Ben  Jones  was  levelled  in  an  instant,  and 
he  was  on  the  point  of  whizzing  a  bullet  into  the  target  so 
tauntingly  displayed.  "  Not  for  your  life  !  not  for  your  life ! " 
exclaimed  Mr.  Stuart,  "  you  will  bring  destruction  on  us  all ! " 

It  was  hard  to  restrain  honest  Ben,  when  the  mark  was  so 
fair  and  the  insult  so  foul.  "  Oh,  Mr.  Stuart,"  exclaimed  he, 
"  only  let  me  have  one  crack  at  the  infernal  rascal,  and  you 
may  keep  all  the  pay  that  is  due  to  me." 

"  By  heaven,  if  you  fire,"  cried  Mr.  Stuart,  "  I  '11  blow  your 
brains  out." 

By  this  time,  the  Indian  was  far  out  of  reach,  and  had 
rejoined  his  men,  and  the  whole  dare-devil  band,  with  the 
captured  horses,  scuttled  off  along  the  defiles,  their  red  flag 
flaunting  over  head,  and  the  rocks  echoing  to  their  whoops 
and  yells,  and  demoniac  laughter. 

The  unhorsed  travellers  gazed  after  them  in  silent  mortifi 
cation  and  despair  ;  yet  Mr.  Stuart  could  not  but  admire  the 
style  and  spirit  with  which  the  whole  exploit  had  been 
managed,  and  pronounced  it  one  of  the  most  daring  and  intre 
pid  actions  he  had  ever  heard  of  among  Indians.  The  whole 
number  of  the  Crows  did  not  exceed  twenty.  In  this  way,  a 
small  gang  of  lurkers  will  hurry  off  the  cavalry  of  a  large  war 
party,  for  when  once  a  drove  of  horses  are  seized  with  a  panic, 
they  become  frantic,  and  nothing  short  of  broken  necks  can 
stop  them. 

No  one  was  more  annoyed  by  this  unfortunate  occurrence 
than  Ben  Jones.  He  declared  he  would  actually  have  given 
his  whole  arrears  of  pay,  amounting  to  upwards  of  a  year's 
wages,  rather  than  be  balked  of  such  a  capital  shot.  Mr. 
Stuart,  however,  represented  what  might  have  been  the  conse 
quence  of  so  rash  an  act.  Life  for  life  is  the  Indian  maxim. 
The  whole  tribe  would  have  made  common  cause  in  avenging 


INDIAN    LURKERS.  141 

the  death  of  a  warrior.  The  party  were  but  seven  dismounted 
men,  with  a  wide  mountain  region  to  traverse,  infested  by 
these  people,  and  which  might  all  be  roused  by  signal  fires. 
In  fact,  the  conduct  of  the  band  of  marauders  in  question, 
showed  the  perseverance  of  savages  when  once  they  have 
fixed  their  minds  upon  a  project.  These  fellows  had  evi 
dently  been  silently  and  secretly  dogging  the  party  for  a  week 
past,  and  a  distance  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  keeping  out 
of  sight  by  day,  lurking  about  the  encampment  at  night,  watch 
ing  all  their  movements,  and  waiting  for  a  favorable  moment 
when  they  should  be  off  their  guard.  The  menace  of  Mr. 
Stuart,  in  their  first  interview,  to  shoot  the  giant  chief  with  his 
pistol,  and  the  fright  caused  among  the  warriors  by  presenting 
the  rifles,  had  probably  added  the  stimulus  of  pique  to  their 
usual  horse-stealing  propensities,  and  in  this  mood  of  mind 
they  would  doubtless  have  followed  the  party  throughout 
their  whole  course  over  the  Rocky  mountains,  rather  than  be 
disappointed  in  their  scheme. 


142  TRAVELLERS   UNHORSED. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

TRAVELLERS  UNHORSED— PEDESTRIAN  PREPARATIONS — PRYING  SPIES — BON 
FIRE  OF  BAGGAGE A  MARCH  ON  FOOT RAFTING  A  RIVER THE  WOUNDED 

ELK — INDIAN  TRAILS — WILFUL  CONDUCT  OF  MR.  M'LELLAN — GRAND 
PROSPECT  FROM  A  MOUNTAIN DISTANT  CRATERS  OF  VOLCANOES ILL 
NESS  OF  MR.  CROOKS. 

FEW  reverses  in  this  changeful  world  are  more  complete  and 
disheartening  than  that  of  a  traveller,  suddenly  unhorsed,  in 
the  midst  of  the  wilderness.  Our  unfortunate  travellers,  con 
templated  their  situation  for  a  time,  in  perfect  dismay.  A 
long  journey  over  rugged  mountains  and  immeasurable  plains, 
lay  before  them,  which  they  must  painfully  perform  on  foot, 
and  every  thing  necessary  for  subsistence  or  defence,  must  be 
carried  on  their  shoulders.  Their  dismay,  however,  was  but 
transient,  and  they  immediately  set  to  work,  with  that  prompt 
expediency  produced  by  the  exigencies  of  the  wilderness,  to 
fit  themselves  for  the  change  in  their  condition. 

Their  first  attention  was  to  select  from  their  baggage  such 
articles  as  were  indispensable  to  their  journey ;  to  make  them 
up  into  convenient  packs,  and  to  deposite  the  residue  in  caches. 
The  whole  day  was  consumed  in  these  occupations  ;  at  night, 
they  made  a  scanty  meal  of  their  remaining  provisions,  and 
lay  down  to  sleep  with  heavy  hearts.  In  the  morning,  they 
were  up  and  about  at  an  early  hour,  and  began  to  prepare  their 
knapsacks  for  a  march,  while  Ben  Jones  repaired  to  an  old 


PRYING    SPIES A    BONFIRE.  143 

beaver  trap  which  he  had  set  in  the  river  bank  at  some  little 
distance  from  the  camp.  He  was  rejoiced  to  find  a  middle- 
sized  beaver  there,  sufficient  for  a  morning's  meal  to  his  hungry 
comrades.  On  his  way  back  with  his  prize,  he  observed  two 
heads  peering  over  the  edge  of  an  impending  cliff,  several 
hundred  feet  high,  which  he  supposed  to  be  a  couple  of  wolves. 
As  he  continued  on,  he  now  and  then  cast  his  eye  up ;  the 
heads  were  still  there,  looking  down  with  fixed  and  watchful 
gaze.  A  suspicion  now  flashed  across  his  mind  that  they 
might  be  Indian  scouts  ;  and,  had  they  not  been  far  above  the 
reach  of  his  rifle,  he  would  undoubtedy  have  regaled  them 
with  a  shot. 

On  arriving  at  the  camp,  he  directed  the  attention  of  his 
comrades  to  these  aerial  observers.  The  same  idea  was  at 
first  entertained,  that  they  were  wolves  ;  but  their  immoveable 
watchfulness,  soon  satisfied  every  one  that  they  were  Indians. 
It  was  concluded  that  they  were  watching  the  movements  of 
the  party,  to  discover  their  place  of  concealment  of  such  articles 
as  they  would  be  compelled  to  leave  behind.  There  was  no 
likelihood  that  the  caches  would  escape  the  search  of  such 
keen  eyes,  and  experienced  rummagers,  and  the  idea  was  in 
tolerable,  that  any  more  booty  should  fall  into  their  hands.  To 
disappoint  them,  therefore,  the  travellers  stripped  the  caches 
of  the  articles  deposited  there,  and  collecting  together  every 
thing  that  they  could  not  carry  away  with  them,  made  a 
bonfire  of  all  that  would  burn,  and  threw  the  rest  into  the 
river.  There  was  a  forlorn  satisfaction  in  thus  balking  the 
Crows,  by  the  destruction  of  their  own  property  ;  and,  having 
thus  gratified  their  pique,  they  shouldered  their  packs,  about 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  set  out  on  their  pedestrian 
wayfaring. 

The  route  they  took  was  down  along  the  banks  of  Mad 


144  A   MARCH    ON    FOOT. 

river.  This  stream  makes  its  way  through  the  defiles  of  the 
mountains,  into  the  plain  below  fort  Henry,  where  it  termi 
nates  in  Snake  river.  Mr.  Stuart  was  in  hopes  of  meeting 
with  Snake  encampments  in  the  plain,  where  he  might  pro 
cure  a  couple  of  horses  to  transport  the  baggage.  In  such 
case,  he  intended  to  resume  his  eastern  course  across  the 
mountains,  and  endeavor  to  reach  the  Cheyenne  river  before 
winter.  Should  he  fail,  however,  of  obtaining  horses,  he 
would  probably  be  compelled  to  winter  on  the  Pacific  side 
of  the  mountains,  somewhere  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Span 
ish  or  Colorado  river. 

With  all  the  care  that  had  been  observed  in  taking  nothing 
with  them  that  was  not  absolutely  necessary,  the  poor  pedes 
trians  were  heavily  laden,  and  their  burthens  added  to  the 
fatigues  of  their  rugged  road.  They  suffered  much,  too,  from 
hunger.  The  trout  they  caught,  were  too  poor  to  yield  much 
nourishment ;  their  main  dependance,  therefore,  was  upon  an 
old  beaver  trap,  which  they  had  providentially  retained.  When 
ever  they  were  fortunate  enough  to  entrap  a  beaver,  it  was 
cut  up  immediately  and  distributed,  that  each  man  might  carry 
his  share. 

After  two  days  of  toilsome  travel,  during  which  they  made 
but  eighteen  miles,  they  stopped  on  the  21st,  to  build  two  rafts 
on  which  to  cross  to  the  north  side  of  the  river.  On  these 
they  embarked,  on  the  following  morning,  four  on  one  raft, 
and  three  on  the  other,  and  pushed  boldly  from  shore.  Find 
ing  the  rafts  sufficiently  firm  and  steady  to  withstand  the  rough 
and  rapid  water,  they  changed  their  minds,  and  instead  of 
crossing,  ventured  to  float  down  with  the  current.  The  river 
was,  in  general,  very  rapid,  and  from  one  to  two  hundred 
yards  in  width,  winding  in  every  direction  through  mountains 
of  hard  black  rock,  covered  with  pines  and  cedars.  The 


RAFTING    A    RIVER.  145 

mountains  to  the  east  of  the  river  were  spurs  of  the  rocky 
range,  and  of  great  magnitude ;  those  on  the  west,  were  little 
better  than  hills,  bleak  and  barren,  or  scantily  clothed  with 
stunted  grass. 

Mad  river,  though  deserving  its  name  from  the  impetuosity 
of  its  current,  was  free  from  rapids  and  cascades,  and  flowed 
on  in  a  single  channel  between  gravel 'banks,  often  fringed 
with  cotton  wood  and  dwarf  willows  in  abundance.  These 
gave  sustenance  to  immense  quantities  of  beaver,  so  that  the 
voyageurs  found  no  difficulty  in  procuring  food.  Ben  Jones, 
also,  killed  a  fallow  deer,  and  a  wolverine,  and  as  they  were 
enabled  to  carry  the  carcasses  on  their  rafts,  their  larder  was 
well  supplied.  Indeed,  they  might  have  occasionally  shot 
beavers  that  were  swimming  in  the  river  as  they  floated  by, 
but  they  humanely  spared  their  lives,  being  in  no  want  of  meat 
at  the  time.  In  this  way,  they  kept  down  the  river  for  three 
days,  drifting  with  the  current  and  encamping  on  land  at  night, 
when  they  drew  up  their  rafts  on  shore.  Towards  the  evening 
of  the  third  day,  they  came  to  a  little  island  on  which  they 
descried  a  gang  of  elk.  Ben  Jones  landed,  and  was  fortunate 
enough  to  wound  one,  which  immediately  took  to  the  water, 
but,  being  unable  to  stem  the  current,  drifted  above  a  mile, 
when  it  was  overtaken  and  drawn  to  shore.  As  a  storm  was 
gathering,  they  now  encamped  on  the  margin  of  the  river, 
where  they  remained  all  the  next  day,  sheltering  themselves 
as  well  as  they  could  from  rain,  and  hail,  and  snow,  a  sharp 
foretaste  of  the  impending  winter.  During  their  encampment, 
they  employed  themselves  in  jerking  a  part  of  the  elk  for 
future  supply.  In  cutting  up  the  carcass,  they  found  that  the 
animal  had  been  wounded  by  hunters,  about  a  week  previously, 
an  arrow  head  and  a  musket  ball  remaining  in  the  wounds. 

In  the  wilderness,  every  trivial  circumstance   is  a  matter  of 
VOL.  n.  13 


146  SIGNS    OF    BLACKFEET. 

anxious  speculation.  The  Snake  Indians  have  no  guns ;  the 
elk,  therfore,  could  not  have  been  wounded  by  one  of  them. 
They  were  on  the  borders  of  the  country  infested  by  the  Black- 
feet,  who  carry  fire-arms.  It  was  concluded,  therefore,  that  the 
elk  had  been  hunted  by  some  of  that  wandering  and  hostile 
tribe  who,  of  course,  must  be  in  the  neighborhood.  The  idea 
put  an  end  to  the  transient  solace  they  had  enjoyed  in  the 
comparative  repose  and  abundance  of  the  river. 

For  three  days  longer  they  continued  to  navigate  with  their 
rafts.  The  recent  storm  had  rendered  the  weather  extremely 
cold.  They  had  now  floated  down  the  river  about  ninety-one 
miles,  when,  finding  the  mountains  on  the  right,  diminished  to 
to  moderate  sized  hills,  they  landed,  and  prepared  to  resume 
their  journey  on  foot.  Accordingly,  having  spent  a  day  in 
preparations,  making  moccasins,  and  parcelling  out  their  jerked 
meat  in  packs  of  twenty  pounds  to  each  man,  they  turned 
their  backs  upon  the  river  on  the  29th  of  September  and 
struck  off  to  the  north-east ;  keeping  along  the  southern  skirt 
of  the  mountain  on  which  Henry's  fort  was  situated. 

Their  march  was  slow  and  toilsome  ;  part  of  the  time 
through  an  alluvial  bottom,  thickly  grown  with  cotton  wood, 
hawthorn  and  willows,  and  part  of  the  time  over  rough  hills. 
Three  antelopes  came  within  shot,  but  they  dared  not  fire  at 
them,  lest  the  report  of  their  rifles  should  betray  them  to  the 
Blackfeet.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  they  came  upon  a  large 
horse  track  apparently  about  three  weeks  old,  and  in  the 
evening  encamped  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream,  on  a  spot 
which  had  been  the  camping  place  of  this  same  band. 

On  the  following  morning  they  still  observed  the  Indian 
track,  but  after  a  time  they  came  to  where  it  separated  in 
every  direction,  and  was  lost.  This  shewed  that  the  band 
had  disoersed  in  various  hunting  parties,  and  was,  in  all  proba- 


SULPHUR    SPRINGS.  147 

bility,  still  in  the  neighborhood ;  it  was  necessary,  therefore, 
to  proceed  with  the  utmost  caution.  They  kept  a  vigilant  eye 
as  they  marched,  upon  every  height  where  a  scout  might  be 
posted,  and  scanned  the  solitary  landscape  and  the  distant 
ravines,  to  observe  any  column  of  smoke ;  but  nothing  of  the 
kind  was  to  be  seen ;  all  was  indiscribably  stern  and  lifeless. 

Towards  evening  they  came  to  where  there  were  several 
hot  springs,  strongly  impregnated  with  iron  and  sulphur,  and 
sending  up  a  volume  of  vapor  that  tainted  the  surrounding 
atmosphere,  and  might  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  a  couple 
of  miles. 

Near  to  these  they  encamped,  in  a  deep  gulley,  which  af 
forded  some  concealment.  To  their  great  concern,  Mr.  Crooks, 
who  had  been  indisposed  for  the  two  preceding  days,  had  a 
violent  fever  in  the  night. 

Shortly  after  daybreak  they  resumed  their  march.  On 
emerging  from  the  glen,  a  consultation  was  held  as  to  their 
course.  Should  they  continue  round  the  skirt  of  the  mountain, 
they  would  be  in  danger  of  falling  in  with  the  scattered  parties 
of  Blackfeet,  who  were  probably  hunting  in  the  plain.  It  was 
thought  most  advisable,  therefore,  to  strike  directly  across  the 
mountain,  since  the  route,  though  rugged  and  difficult,  would 
be  most  secure.  This  counsel  was  indignantly  derided  by 
M'Lellan  as  pusillanimous.  Hot-headed  and  impatient  at  all 
times,  he  had  been  rendered  irascible  by  the  fatigues  of  the 
journey,  and  the  condition  of  his  feet,  which  were  chafed  and 
sore.  He  could  not  endure  the  idea  of  encountering  the  diffi 
culties  of  the  mountain,  and  swore  he  would  rather  face  all  the 
Blackfeet  in  the  country.  He  was  overruled,  however,  and 
the  party  began  to  ascend  the  mountain,  striving,  with  the 
ardor  and  emulation  of  young  men,  who  should  be  first  up. 
M'Lellan,  who  was  double  the  age  of  some  of  his  companions, 


148 


WILFUL    CONDUCT    OF    M  LELLAN. 


soon  began  to  lose  breath,  and  fall  in  the  rear.  In  the  distri 
bution  of  burthens,  it  was  his  turn  to  carry  the  old  beaver  trap. 
Piqued  and  irritated,  he  suddenly  came  to  a  halt,  swore  he 
would  carry  it  no  further,  and  jirked  it  half  way  down  the  hill. 
He  was  offered  in  place  of  it  a  package  of  dried  meat,  but 
this  he  scornfully  threw  upon  the  ground.  They  might  carry 
it,  he  said,  who  needed  it,  for  his  part,  he  could  provide  his 
daily  food  with  his  rifle.  He  concluded  by  flinging  off  from 
the  party,  and  keeping  along  the  skirts  of  the  mountain,  leav 
ing  those,  he  said,  to  climb  rocks,  who  were  afraid  to  face 
Indians.  It  was  in  vain  that  Mr.  Stuart  represented  to  him 
the  rashness  of  his  conduct,  and  the  dangers  to  which  he 
exposed  himself:  he  rejected  such  counsel  as  craven.  It  was 
equally  useless  to  represent  the  dangers  to  which  he  subjected 
his  companions ;  as  he  could  be  discovered  at  a  great  distance 
on  those  naked  plains,  and  the  Indians,  seeing  him,  would 
know  that  there  must  be  other  white  men  within  reach. 
M'Lellan  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  every  remonstrance,  and  kept 
on  his  wilful  way. 

It  seems  a  strange  instance  of  perverseness  in  this  man 
thus  to  fling  himself  off  alone,  in  a  savage  region,  where 
solitude  itself  was  dismal,  but  every  encounter  with  his  fellow 
man  full  of  peril.  Such,  however,  is  the  hardness  of  spirit, 
and  the  insensibility  to  danger,  that  grow  upon  men  in  the 
wilderness.  M'Lellan,  moreover,  was  a  man  of  peculiar  tem 
perament,  ungovernable  in  his  will,  of  a  courage  that  absolutely 
knew  not  fear,  and  somewhat  of  a  braggart  spirit,  that  took  a 
pride  in  doing  desperate  and  hairbrained  things. 

Mr.  Stuart  and  his  party  found  the  passages  of  the  mountain 
somewhat  difficult,  on  account  of  the  snow,  which  in  many 
places  was  of  considerable  depth,  though  it  was  now  but  the 
1st  of  October.  They  crossed  the  summit  early  in  the  after- 


MOUNTAIN    PROSPECT VOLCANOES. 

noon,  and  beheld  below  them  a  plain  about  twenty  miles  wide, 
bounded  on  the  opposite  side  by  their  old  acquaintances,  the 
Pilot  Knobs,  those  towering  mountains  which  had  served  Mr. 
Hunt  as  landmarks  in  part  of  his  route  of  the  preceding  year. 
Through  the  intermediate  plain  wandered  a  river  about  fifty 
yards  wide,  sometimes  gleaming  in  open  day,  but  oftener  run 
ning  through  willowed  banks,  which  marked  its  serpentine 
course. 

Those  of  the  party  who  had  been  across  these  mountains, 
pointed  out  much  of  the  bearings  of  the  country  to  Mr.  Stuart. 
They  shewed  him  in  what  direction  must  lie  the  deserted  post 
called  Henry's  fort,  where  they  had  abandoned  their  horses  and 
embarked  in  canoes,  and  they  informed  him  that  the  stream 
which  wandered  through  the  plain  helow  them,  fell  into  Henry 
river,  half  way  between  the  fort  and  the  mouth  of  Mad  or 
Snake  river.  The  character  of  all  this  mountain  region  was 
decidedly  volcanic  ;  and  to  the  north-west,  between  Henry's 
fort  and  the  source  of  the  Missouri,  Mr.  Stuart  observed 
several  very  high  peaks  covered  with  snow,  from  two  of  which 
smoke  ascended  in  considerable  volumes,  apparently  from 
craters,  in  a  state  of  eruption. 

On  their  way  down  the  mountain,  when  they  had  reached 
the  skirts,  they  descried  M'Lellan  at  a  distance,  in  the  ad 
vance,  traversing  the  plain.  Whether  he  saw  them  or  not,  he 
showed  no  disposition  to  rejoin  them,  but  pursued  his  sullen 
and  solitary  way. 

After  descending  into  the  plain,  they  kept  on  about  six 
miles,  until  they  reached  the  little  river,  which  was  here  about 
knee  deep,  and  richly  fringed  with  willow.  Here  they  en 
camped  for  the  night.  At  this  encampment  the  fever  of  Mr. 
Crooks  increased  to  such  a  degree  that  it  was  impossible  for 

him  to  travel.      Some  of  the  men  were  strenuous   for  Mr. 

13* 


160  HUMANE    RESOLUTION. 

Stuart  to  proceed  without  him,  urging  the  imminent  danger 
they  were  exposed  to  by  delay  in  that  unknown  and  barren 
region,  infested  by  the  most  treacherous  and  inveterate  of  foes. 
They  represented  that  the  season  was  rapidly  advancing ;  the 
weather  for  some  days  had  been  extremely  cold  ;  the  mountains 
were  already  almost  impassable  from  snow,  and  would  soon 
present  effectual  barriers.  Their  provisions  were  exhausted ; 
there  was  no  game  to  be  seen,  and  they  did  not  dare  to  use 
their  rifles,  through  fear  of  drawing  upon  them  the  Blackfeet. 

The  picture  thus  presented,  was  too  true  to  be  contradicted, 
and  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  mind  of  Mr.  Stuart ;  but 
the  idea  of  abandoning  a  fellow  being,  and  a  comrade,  in  such 
a  forlorn  situation,  was  too  repugnant  to  his  feelings  to  be 
admitted  for  an  instant.  He  represented  to  the  men  that  the 
malady  of  Mr.  Crooks  could  not  be  of  long  duration,  and  that 
in  all  probability,  he  would  be  able  to  travel  in  the  course  of  a 
few  days.  It  was  with  great  difficulty,  however,  that  he  pre 
vailed  upon  them  to  abide  the  event. 


BEN    JONES    AND    A    GRIZZLY    BEAR.  151 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

BEN  JONES  AND  A  GRIZZLY  BEAR — ROCKY  HEIGHTS — MOUNTAIN  TORRENTS 
— TRACES  OF  M'LELLAN — VOLCANIC  REMAINS — MINERAL  EARTHS — PECU 
LIAR  CLAY  FOR  POTTERY DISMAL  PLIGHT  OF  M'LELLAN STARVATION 

SHOCKING    PROPOSITION    OF  A  DESPERATE    MAN A    BROKEN    DOWN   BULL 

A    RAVENOUS    MEAL INDIAN    GRAVES HOSPITABLE    SNAKES — A    FORLORN 

ALLIANCE. 

As  the  travellers  were  now  in  a  dangerous  neighborhood,  where 
the  report  of  a  rifle  might  bring  the  savages  upon  them,  they 
had  to  depend  upon  their  old  beaver  trap  for  subsistence.  The 
little  river  on  which  they  were  encamped  gave  many  "  beaver 
signs,"  and  Ben  Jones  set  off  at  daybreak,  along  the  willowed 
banks,  to  find  a  proper  trapping  place.  As  he  was  making  his 
way  among  the  thickets,  with  his  trap  on  his  shoulder  and  his 
rifle  in  his  hand,  he  heard  a  crashing  sound,  and  turning,  be 
held  a  huge  grizzly  bear  advancing  upon  him,  with  terrific 
growl.  The  sturdy  Kentuckian  was  not  to  be  intimidated  by 
jnan  or  monster.  Levelling  his  rifle,  he  pulled  trigger.  The 
bear  was  wounded,  but  not  mortally:  instead,  however,  of 
rushing  upon  his  assailant,  as  is  generally  the  case  with  this 
kind  of  bear,  he  retreated  into  the  bushes.  Jones  followed 
him  for  some  distance,  but  with  suitable  caution,  and  Bruin 
effected  his  escape. 

As  there  was  every  prospect  of  a  detention  of  some  days  in 
this  place,  and  as  the   supplies  of  the  beaver  trap  were  too 


152  SUCCESSFUL    HUNTING. 

precarious  to  be  depended  upon,  it  became  absolutely  neces 
sary  to  run  some  risk  of  discovery  by  hunting  in  the  neighbor 
hood.  Ben  Jones,  therefore,  obtained  permission  to  range 
with  his  rifle  some  distance  from  the  camp,  and  set  off  to  beat 
up  the  river  banks,  in  defiance  of  bear  or  Blackfeet. 

He  returned  in  great  spirits  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours, 
having  come  upon  a  gang  of  elk  about  six  miles  off,  and 
killed  five.  This  was  joyful  news,  and  the  party  imme 
diately  moved  forward  to  the  place  where  he  had  left  the 
carcases.  They  were  obliged  to  support  Mr.  Crooks  the 
whole  distance,  for  he  was  unable  to  walk.  Here  they  re 
mained  for  two  or  three  days,  feasting  heartily  on  elk  meat, 
and  drying  as  much  as  they  would  be  able  to  carry  away  with 
them. 

By  the  5th  of  October,  some  simple  prescriptions,  together 
with  an  "  Indian  sweat,"  had  so  far  benefited  Mr.  Crooks, 
that  he  was  enabled  to  move  about ;  they,  therefore,  set  for 
ward  slowly,  dividing  his  pack  and  accoutrements  among  them, 
and  made  a  creeping  day's  progress  of  eight  miles  south. 
Their  route  for  the  most  part  lay  through  swamps,  caused  by 
the  industrious  labors  of  the  beaver ;  for  this  little  animal  had 
dammed  up  numerous  small  streams,  issuing  from  the  Pilot 
Knob  mountains,  so  that  the  low  grounds  on  their  borders, 
were  completely  inundated.  In  the  course  of  their  march 
they  killed  a  grizzly  bear,  with  fat  on  its  flanks  upwards  of 
three  inches  in  thickness.  This  was  an  acceptable  addition 
to  their  stock  of  elk  meat.  The  next  day,  Mr.  Crooks  was 
sufficiently  recruited  in  strength  to  be  able  to  carry  his  rifle 
and  pistols,  and  they  made  a  march  of  seventeen  miles  along 
the  borders  of  the  plain. 

Their  journey  daily  became  more  toilsome,  and  their  suffer 
ings  more  severe,  as  they  advanced.  Keeping  up  the  channel 


SCANTY    FARE.  153 

of  a  river,  they  traversed  the  rugged  summit  of  the  Pilot  Knob 
mountain,  covered  with  snow  nine  inches  deep.  For  several 
days  they  continued,  bending  their  course  as  much  as  possible 
to  the  east,  over  a  succession  of  rocky  heights,  deep  valleys, 
and  rapid  streams.  Sometimes  their  dizzy  path  lay  along 
the  margin  of  perpendicular  precipices,  several  hundred  feet 
in  height,  where  a  single  false  step  might  precipitate  them 
into  the  rocky  bed  of  a  torrent  which  roared  below.  Not  the 
least  part  of  their  weary  task  was  the  fording  of  the  numerous 
windings  and  branchings  of  the  mountain  rivers,  all  boisterous 
in  their  currents,  and  icy  cold. 

Hunger  was  added  to  their  other  sufferings,  and  soon  be 
came  the  keenest.  The  small  supply  of  bear  and  elk  meat 
which  they  had  been  able  to  carry,  in  addition  to  their  previous 
burthens,  served  but  for  a  very  short  time.  In  their  anxiety  to 
struggle  forward,  they  had  but  little  time  to  hunt,  and  scarce 
any  game  came  in  their  path.  For  three  days  they  had  nothing 
to  eat  but  a  small  duck,  and  a  few  poor  trout.  They  occa 
sionally  saw  numbers  of  antelopes,  and  tried  every  art  to  get 
within  shot ;  but  the  timid  animals  were  more  than  commonly 
wild,  and  after  tantalizing  the  hungry  hunters  for  a  time, 
bounded  away  beyond  all  chance  of  pursuit.  At  length  they 
were  fortunate  enough  to  kill  one  :  it  was  extremely  meagre, 
and  yielded  but  a  scanty  supply  ;  but  on  this  they  subsisted  for 
several  days. 

On  the  llth,  they  encamped  on  a  small  stream,  near  the  foot 
of  the  Spanish  river  mountain.  Here  they  met  with  traces 
of  that  wayward  and  solitary  being,  M'Lellan,  who  was  still 
keeping  on  ahead  of  them  through  these  lonely  mountains. 
He  had  encamped  the  night  before  on  this  stream-;  they  found 
the  embers  of  the  fire  by  which  he  had  slept,  and  the  remains 
of  a  miserable  wolf  on  which  he  had  supped.  It  was  evident 


154  STARVATION. 

he  had  suffered,  like  themselves,  the  pangs  of  hunger,  though 
he  had  fared  better  at  this  encampment ;  for  they  had  not  a 
mouthful  to  eat. 

The  next  day,  they  rose  hungry  and  alert,  and  set  out  with 
the  dawn  to  climb  the  mountain,  which  was  steep  and  difficult. 
Traces  of  volcanic  operations  were  to  be  seen  in  various 
directions.  There  was  a  species  of  clay  also  to  be  met  with, 
out  of  which  the  Indians  manufacture  pots  and  jars  and  dishes. 
It  is  very  fine  and  light,  of  an  agreeable  smell,  and  of  a  brown 
color  spotted  with  yellow,  and  dissolves  readily  in  the  mouth. 
Vessels  manufactured  of  it,  are  said  to  impart  a  pleasant  smell 
and  flavor  to  any  liquids.  These  mountains  abound  also  with 
mineral  earths,  or  chalks  of  various  colors ;  especially  two 
kinds  of  ochre,  one  a  pale,  the  other  a  bright  red,  like  vermi 
lion  ;  much  used  by  the  Indians,  in  painting  their  bodies. 

About  noon,  the  travellers  reached  the  "  drains  "  and  brooks 
that  formed  the  head  waters  of  the  river,  and  later  in  the  day, 
descended  to  where  the  main  body,  a  shallow  stream,  about  a 
hundred  and  sixty  yards  wide,  poured  through  its  mountain 
valley. 

Here  the  poor  famishing  wanderers  had  expected  to  find 
buffalo  in  abundance,  and  had  fed  their  hungry  hopes  during 
their  scrambling  toil,  with  the  thoughts  of  roasted  ribs,  juicy 
humps,  and  broiled  marrow  bones.  To  their  great  disappoint 
ment,  the  river  banks  were  deserted ;  a  few  old  tracks,  showed 
where  a  herd  of  bulls  had  some  time  before  passed  along,  but 
not  a  horn  nor  hump  was  to  be  seen  in  the  sterile  landscape. 
A  few  antelopes  looked  down  upon  them  from  the  brow  of  a 
crag,  but  flitted  away  out  of  sight  at  the  least  approach  of  the 
hunter. 

In  the  most  starving  mood  they  kept  for  several  miles  fur 
ther,  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  seeking  for  "  beaver  signs." 


DISTRESS    OF    M?LELLAN.  155 

Finding  some,  they  encamped  in  the  vicinity,  and  Ben  Jones 
immediately  proceeded  to  set  the  trap.  They  had  scarce 
come  to  a  halt,  when  they  perceived  a  large  smoke  at  some 
distance  to  the  southwest.  The  sight  was  hailed  with  joy,  for 
they  trusted  it  might  rise  from  some  Indian  camp,  where  they 
could  procure  something  to  eat,  and  the  dread  of  starvation 
had  now  overcome  even  the  terror  of  the  Blackfeet.  Le  Clerc, 
one  of  the  Canadians,  was  instantly  despatched  by  Mr.  Stuart, 
to  reconnoitre  ;  and  the  travellers  sat  up  till  a  late  hour,  watch 
ing  and  listening  for  his  return,  hoping  he  might  bring  them 
food.  Midnight  arrived,  but  Le  Clerc  did  not  make  his  ap 
pearance,  and  they  laid  down  once  more  supperless  to  sleep, 
comforting  themselves  with  the  hopes  that  their  old  beaver 
trap  might  furnish  them  with  a  breakfast. 

At  daybreak  they  hastened  with  famished  eagerness  to  the 
trap — they  found  in  it  the  fore  paw  of  a  beaver ;  the  sight  of 
which  tantalized  their  hunger,  and  added  to  their  dejection. 
They  resumed  their  journey  with  flagging  spirits,  but  had  not 
gone  far  when  they  perceived  Le  Clerc  approaching  at  a  dis 
tance.  They  hastened  to  meet  him,  in  hopes  of  tidings  of 
good  cheer.  He  had  none  such  to  give  them ;  but  news  df 
that  strange  wanderer,  M'Lellan.  The  smoke  had  risen  from 
his  encampment,  which  took  fire  while  he  was  at  a  little  dis 
tance  from  it  fishing.  Le  Clerc  found  him  in  forlorn  condi 
tion.  His  fishing  had  been  unsuccessful.  During  twelve 
days  that  he  had  been  wandering  alone  through  these  savage 
mountains,  he  had  found  scarce  any  thing  to  eat.  He  had 
been  ill,  wayworn,  sick  at  heart,  still  he  had  kept  forward ; 
but  now  his  strength  and  his  stubbornness  were  exhausted. 
He  expressed  his  satisfaction  at  hearing  that  Mr.  Stuart  and 
his  party  were  near,  and  said  he  would  wait  at  his  camp  for 
their  arrival,  in  hopes  they  would  give  him  something  to  eat, 


156  M'LELLAN  IN  EXTREMITY. 

for  without  food  he  declared  he  should  not  be  able  to  proceed 
much  further. 

When  the  party  reached  the  place,  they  found  the  poor 
fellow  lying  on  a  parcel  of.  withered  grass,  wasted  to  a  perfect 
skeleton,  and  so  feeble  that  he  could  scarce  raise  his  head  or 
speak.  The  presence  of  his  old  comrades  seemed  to  revive 
him ;  but  they  had  no  food  to  give  him,  for  they  themselves 
were  almost  starving.  They  urged  him  to  rise  and  accompany 
them,  but  he  shook  his  head.  It  was  all  jn  vain,  he  said ; 
there  was  no  prospect  of  their  getting  speedy  relief,  and  with 
out  it  he  should  perish  by  the  way  :  he  might  as  well,  there 
fore,  stay  and  die  where  he  was.  At  length,  after  much  per 
suasion,  they  got  him  upon  his  legs  ;  his  rifle  and  other  effects 
were  shared  among  them,  and  he  was '  cheered  and  aided 
forward.  In  this  way  they  proceeded  for  seventeen  miles, 
over  a  level  plain  of  sand,  until,  seeing  a  few  antelopes  in  the 
distance,  they  encamped  on  the  margin  of  a  small  stream.  All 
now  that  were  capable  of  the  exertion,  turned  out  to  hunt 
for  a  meal.  Their  efforts  were  fruitless,  and  after  dark  they 
returned  to  their  camp,  famished  almost  to  desperation. 

As  they  were  preparing  for  the  third  time  to  lay  down  to 
sleep  without  a  mouthful  to  eat,  Le  Clerc,  one  of  the  Cana 
dians,  gaunt  and  wild  with  hunger,  apprbached  Mr.  Stuart  with 
his  gun  in  his  hand.  "  It  was  all  in  vain,"  he  said,  "  to  at 
tempt  to  proceed  any  further  without  food.  They  had  a  barren 
plain  before  them,  three  or  four  days'  journey  in  extent,  on 
which  nothing  was  to  be  procured.  They  must  all  perish 
before  they  could  get  to  the  end  of  it.  It  was  better,  therefore, 
that  one  should  die  to  save  the  rest."  He  proposed,  therefore, 
that  they  should  cast  lots ;  adding,  as  an  inducement  for  Mr. 
Stuart  to  assent  to  the  proposition,  that  he,  as  leader  of  the 
party,  should  be  exempted. 


THE    RUN-DOWN    BUFFALO    BULL.  157 

Mr.  Stuart  shuddered  at  the  horrible  proposition,  and  endea 
vored  to  reason  with  the  man,  but  his  words  were  unavailing. 
At  length,  snatching  up  his  rifle,  he  threatened  to  shoot  him 
on  the  spot  if  he  persisted.  The  famished  wretch  dropped  on 
his  knees,  begged  pardon  in  the  most  abject  terms,  and  pro 
mised  never  again  to  offend  him  with  such  a  suggestion. 

Quiet  being  restored  to  the  forlorn  encampment,  each  one 
sought  repose.  Mr.  Stuart,  however,  was  so  exhausted  by  the 
agitation  of  the  past  scene,  acting  upon  his  emaciated  frame, 
that  he  could  scarce  crawl  to  his  miserable  couch;  where, 
notwithstanding  his  fatigues,  he  passed  a  sleepless  night,  re 
volving  upon  their  dreary  situation,  and  the  desperate  prospect 
before  them. 

Before  daylight  the  next  morning,  they  were  up  and  on  their 
way ;  they  had  nothing  to  detain  them ;  no  breakfast  to  pre 
pare,  and  to  linger  was  to  perish.  They  proceeded,  however, 
but  slowly,  for  all  were  faint  and  weak.  Here  and  there  they 
passed  the  sculls  and  bones  of  buffaloes,  which  showed  that 
those  animals  must  have  been  hunted  here  during  the  past 
season  ;  the  sight  of  these  bones  served  only  to  mock  their 
misery.  After  travelling  about  nine  miles  along  the  plain, 
they  ascended  a  range  of  hills,  and  had  scarcely  gone  two 
miles  further,  when,  to  their  great  joy,  they  discovered  "  an 
old  run-down  buffalo  bull ;"  the  laggard  probably  of  some  herd 
that  had  been  hunted  and  harassed  through  the  mountains. 
They  now  all  stretched  themselves  out  to  encompass  and 
make  sure^of  this  solitary  animal,  for  their  lives  depended 
upon  their  success.  After  considerable  trouble  and  infinite 
anxiety,  they  at  length  succeeded  in  killing  him.  He  was 
instantly  flayed  and  cut  up,  and  so  ravenous  was  their  hunger, 
that  they  devoured  some  of  the  flesh  raw.  The  residue  they 

VOL.  II.  14 


158  TRACES    OF    INDIAN    HUNTERS. 

carried  to  a  brook  near  by,  where  they  encamped,  lit  a  fire, 
and  began  to  cook. 

Mr.  Stuart  was  fearful  that  in  their  famished  state  they 
would  eat  to  excess  and  injure  themselves.  He  caused  a 
soup  to  be  made  of  some  of  the  meat,  and  that  each  should 
take  a  quantity  of  it  as  a  prelude  to  his  supper.  This  may 
have  had  a  beneficial  effect,  for  though  they  sat  up  the  greater 
part  of  the  night,  cooking,  and  cramming,  no  one  suffered  any 
iuconvenience. 

The  next  morning  the  feasting  was  resumed,  and  about  mid 
day,  feeling  somewhat  recruited  and  refreshed,  they  set  out  on 
their  journey  with  renovated  spirits,  shaping  their  course  to 
wards  a  mountain,  the  summit  of  which  they  saw  towering  in 
the  east,  and  near  to  which  they  expected  to  find  the  head 
waters  of  the  Missouri. 

As  they  proceeded,  they  continued  to  see  the  skeletons  of 
buffaloes  scattered  about  the  plain  in  every  direction,  which 
showed  that  there  had  been  much  hunting  here  by  the  Indians 
in  the  recent  season.  Further  on  they  crossed  a  large  Indian 
trail,  forming  a  deep  path,  about  fifteen  days  old,  which  went 
in  a  north  direction.  They  concluded  it  to  have  been  made 
by  some  numerous  band  of  Crows,  who  had  hunted  in  this 
country  for  the  greater  part  of  the  summer. 

On  the  following  day  they  forded  a  stream  of  considerable 
magnitude,  with  banks  clothed  with  pine  trees.  Among  these 
they  found  the  traces  of  a  large  Indian  camp,  which  had 
evidently  been  the  head  quarters  of  a  hunting  expedition,  from 
the  great  quantities  of  buffalo  bones  strewed  about  the  neigh 
borhood.  The  camp  had  apparently  been  abandoned  about  a 
month. 

In  the  centre  was  a  singular  lodge  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  in  circumference,  supported  by  the  trunks  of  twenty  trees, 


INDIAN    SEPULCHRE.  159 

about  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  and  forty-four  feet  long. 
Across  these  were  laid  branches  of  pine  and  willow  trees,  so 
as  to  yield  a  tolerable  shade.  At  the  west  end,  immediately 
opposite  to  the  door,  three  bodies  lay  interred  with  their  feet 
towards  the  east.  At  the  head  of  each  grave  was  a  branch  of 
red  cedar  firmly  planted  in  the  ground.  At  the  foot  was  a 
large  buffalo's  scull,  painted  ^  black.  Savage  ornaments  were 
suspended  in  various  parts  of  the  edifice,  and  a  great  number 
of  children's  moccasins.  From  the  magnitude  of  this  building, 
and  the  time  and  labor  that  must  have  been  expended  in  erect 
ing  it,  the  bodies  which  it  contained  were  probably  those  of 
noted  warriors  and  hunters. 

The  next  day,  October  17th,  they  passed  two  large  tributary 
streams  of  the  Spanish  river.  They  took  their  rise  in  the 
Wind  river  mountains,  which  ranged  along  to  the  east,  stu 
pendously  high  and  rugged,  composed  of  vast  masses  of  black 
rock,  almost  destitute  of  wood,  and  covered  in  many  places 
with  snow.  This  day  they  saw  a  few  buffalo  bulls,  and  some 
antelopes,  but  could  not  kill  any  ;  and  their  stock  of  provisions 
began  to  grow  scanty  as  well  as  poor. 

On  the  18th,  after  crossing  a  mountain  ridge,  and  traversing 
a  plain,  they  waded  one  of  the  branches  of  Spanish  river,  .and 
on  ascending  its  bank,  met  with  about  a  hundred  and  thirty 
Snake  Indians.  They  were  friendly  in  their  demeanor,  and 
conducted  them  to  their  encampment,  which  was  about  three 
miles  distant.  It  consisted  of  about  forty  wigwams,  con 
structed  principally  of  pine  branches.  The  Snakes,  like  most 
of  their  nation,  were  very  poor ;  the  marauding  Crows,  in  their 
late  excursion  through  the  country,  had  picked  this  unlucky 
band  to  the  very  bone,  carrying  off  their  horses,  several  of 
their  squaws,  and  most  of  their  effects.  In  spite  of  their 
poverty,  they  were  hospitable  in  the  extreme,  and  made  the 


160  THE    FORLORN    ALLIANCE. 

hungry  strangers  welcome  to  their  cabins.  A  few  trinkets 
procured  from  them  a  supply  of  buffalo  meat,  and  of  leather 
for  moccasins,  of  which  the  party  were  greatly  in  need.  The 
most  valuable  prize  obtained  from  them,  however,  was  a  horse  : 
it  was  a  sorry  old  animal  in  truth,  but  it  was  the  only  one  that 
remained  to  the  poor  fellows,  after  the  fell  swoop  of  the  Crows ; 
yet  this  they  were  prevailed  upon  to  part  with  to  their  guests 
for  a  pistol,  an  axe,  a  knife,  and  a  few  other  trifling  articles. 

They  had  doleful  stories  to  tell  of  the  Crows,  who  were 
encamped  on  a  river  at  no  great  distance  to  the  east,  and  were 
in  such  force  that  they  dared  not  venture  to  seek  any  satisfac 
tion  for  their  outrages,  or  to  get  back  a  horse  or  squaw.  They 
endeavored  to  excite  the  indignation  of  their  visitors  by  ac 
counts  of  robberies  and  murders  committed  on  lonely  white 
hunters  and  trappers  by  Crows  and  Blackfeet.  Some  of  these 
were  exaggerations  of  the  outrages  already  mentioned,  sus 
tained  by  some  of  the  scattered  members  of  Mr.  Hunt's  expe 
dition  ;  others  were  in  all  probability  sheer  fabrications,  to 
which  the  Snakes  seem  to  have  been  a  little  prone.  Mr. 
Stuart  assured  them  that  the  day  was  not  far  distant  when  the 
whites  would  make  their  power  to  be  felt  throughout  that 
country,  and  take  signal  vengeance  on  the  perpetrators  of  these 
misdeeds.  The  Snakes  expressed  great  joy  at  the  intelligence, 
and  offered  their  services  to  aid  the  righteous  cause,  bright 
ening  at  the  thoughts  of  taking  the  field  with  such  potent  allies, 
and  doubtless  anticipating  their  turn  at  stealing  horses  and 
abducting  squaws.  Their  offers  of  course  were  accepted  ;  the 
calumet  of  peace  was  produced,  and  the  two  forlorn  powers 
smoked  eternal  friendship  between  themselves,  and  vengeance 
upon  their  common  spoilers,  the  Crows. 


SPANISH    RIVER.  161 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

SPANISH   RIVER    SCENERY — TRAIL  OF  CROW  INDIANS — A  SNOW  STORM — A 

ROUSING   FIRE   AND  A  BUFFALO  FEAST A  PLAIN  OF  SALT CLIMBING  A 

MOUNTAIN VOLCANIC  SUMMIT EXTINGUISHED  CRATER MARINE  SHELLS 

ENCAMPMENT   ON   A"  PRAIRIE — SUCCESSFUL   HUNTING GOOD  CHEER 

ROMANTIC     SCENERY ROCKY     DEFILE FOAMING     RAPIDS THE     FIERY 

NARROWS. 

I 

BY  sunrise  on  the  following  morning,  (October  19th,)  the 
travellers  had  loaded  their  old  horse  with  buffalo  meat,  suf 
ficient  for  five  day's  provisions,  and,  taking  leave  of  their  new 
allies,  the  poor,  but  hospitable  Snakes,  set  forth  in  somewhat 
better  spirits,  though  the  increasing  cold  of  the  weather,  and 
the  sight  of  the  snowy  mountains,  which  they  had  yet  to 
traverse,  were  enough  to  chill  their  very  hearts.  The  country 
along  this  branch  of  the  Spanish  river,  as  far  as  they  could 
see,  was  perfectly  level,  bounded  by  ranges  of  lofty  mountains, 
both  to  the  east  and  west.  They  proceeded  about  three  miles 
to  the  south,  where  they  came  again  upon  the  large  trail  of 
Crow  Indians,  which  they  had  crossed  four  day's  previously, 
made,  no  doubt,  by  the  same  marauding  band  that  had  plun 
dered  the  Snakes  ;  and  which,  according  to  the  account  of  the 
latter,  was  now  encamped  on  a  stream  to  the  eastward.  The 
trail  kept  on  to  the  south-east,  and  was  so  well  beaten  by  horse 
and  foot,  that  they  supposed  at  least  a  hundred  lodges  had 

passed  along  it.     As  it  formed,  therefore,  a  convenient  high" 

14*        ' 


162         BAD  WEATHER  AND  GOOD  CHEER. 

way,  and  ran  in  a  proper  direction,  they  turned  into  it,  and 
determined  to  keep  along  it  as  far  as  safety  would  permit ; 
as  the  Crow  encampment  must  be  some  distance  off,  and  it  was 
not  likely  those  savages  would  return  upon  their  steps.  They 
travelled  forward,  therefore,  all  that  day,  in  the  track  of  their 
dangerous  predecessors,  which  led  them  across  mountain 
streams,  and  along  ridges,  and  through  narrow  valleys,  all 
tending  generally  towards  the  south-east.  The  wind  blew 
coldly  from  the  north-east,  with  occasional  flurries  of  snow, 
which  made  them  encamp  early,  on  the  sheltered  banks  of  a 
brook.  The  two  Canadians,  Vallee  and  Le  Clerc,  killed  a 
young  buffalo  bull  in  the  evening,  which  was  in  good  condi 
tion,  and  afforded  them  a  plentiful  supply  of  fresh  beef.  They 
loaded  their  spits,  therefore,  and  crammed  their  camp  kettle 
with  meat,  and  while  the  wind  whistled,  and  the  snow  whirled 
around  them,  huddled  round  a  rousing  fire,  basked  in  its 
warmth,  and  comforted  both  soul  and  body  with  a  hearty  and 
invigorating  meal.  No  enjoyments  have  greater  zest  than 
these,  snatched  in  the  very  midst  of  difficulty  and  danger ; 
and  it  is  probable  the  poor  way-worn  and  weather-beaten 
travellers  relished  these  creature  comforts  the  more  highly, 
from  the  surrounding  desolation,  and  the  dangerous  proximity 
of  the  Crows. 

The  snow  which  had  fallen  in  the  night  made  it  late  in  the 
morning  before  the  party  loaded  their  solitary  pack-horse,  and 
resumed  their  march.  They  had  not  gone  far  before  the 
Crow  trace  which  they  were  following,  changed  its  direction, 
and  bore  to  the  north  of  east.  They  had  already  begun  to 
feel  themselves  on  dangerous  ground,  in  keeping  along  it,  as 
they  might  be  descried  by  some  scouts  and  spies  of  that  race  of 
Ishmaelites,  whose  predatory  life  required  them  to  be  constantly 
on  the  alert.  On  seeing  the  trace  turn  so  much  to  the  north, 


A    SALT    PLAIN.  163 

therefore,  they  abandoned  it,  and  kept  on  their  course  to  the 
south-east,  for  eighteen  miles,  through  a  beautifully  undulating 
country,  having  the  main  chain  of  mountains  on  the  left,  and 
a  considerably  elevated  ridge  on  the  right.  Here  the  mountain 
ridge  which  divides  Wind  river  from  the  head  waters  of  the 
Columbia  and  Spanish  rivers,  ends  abruptly,  and  winding  to  the 
north  of  east,  becomes  the  dividing  barrier  between  a  branch 
of  the  Bighorn  and  Cheyenne  rivers,  and  those  head  waters 
which  flow  into  the  Missouri,  below  the  Sioux  country. 

The  ridge  which  lay  on  the  right  of  the  travellers  having 
now  become  very  low,  they  passed  over  it,  and  came  into  a 
level  plain,  about  ten  miles  in  circumference,  and  encrusted 
to  the  depth  of  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  with  salt  as  white  as 
snow.  This  is  furnished  by  numerous  salt  springs  of  limpid 
water,  which  are  continually  welling  up,  overflowing  their 
borders,  and  forming  beautiful  crystallizations.  The  Indian 
tribes  of  the  interior  are  excessively  fond  of  this  salt,  and 
repair  to  the  valley  to  collect  it,  but  it  is  held  in  distaste  by 
the  tribes  of  the  sea  coast,  who  will  eat  nothing  that  has  been 
cured  or  seasoned  by  it. 

This  evening  they  encamped  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream, 
in  the  open  prairie.  The  north-east  wind  was  keen  and  cut 
ting  ;  they  had  nothing  wherewith  to  make  a  fire,  but  a  scanty 
growth  of  sage,  or  wormwood,  and  were  fain  to  wrap  them 
selves  up  in  their  blankets,  and  huddle  themselves  in  their 
"  nests,"  at  an  early  hour.  In  the  course  of  the  evening, 
Mr.  M'Lellan,  who  had  now  regained  his  strength,  killed  a 
buffalo,  but  it  was  some  distance  from  the  camp,  and  they 
postponed  supplying  themselves  from  the  carcass  until  the 
following  morning. 

The  next  day,  (October  21st,)  the  cold  continued,  adcompa- 
nied  by  snow.  They  set  forward  on  their  bleak  and  toilsome 


164  AN  EXTINGUISHED  VOLCANO. 

way,  keeping  to  the  east  north-east,  towards  the  lofty  summit  of 
a  mountain,  which  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  cross.  Before 
they  reached  its  base  they  passed  another  large  trail,  steering 
a  little  to  the  right  of  the  point  of  the  mountain.  This  they 
presumed  to  have  been  made  by  another  band  of  Crows,  who 
had  probably  been  hunting  lower  down  on  the  Spanish  river. 

The  severity  of  the  weather  compelled  them  to  encamp  at 
the  end  of  fifteen  miles,  oil  the  skirts  of  the  mountain,  where 
they  found  sufficient  dry  aspen  trees  to  supply  them  with  fire, 
but  they  sought  in  vain  about  the  neighborhood  for  a  spring  or 
rill  of  water. 

At  daybreak  they  were  up  and  on  the  march,  scrambling  up 
the  mountain  side  for  the  distance  of  eight  painful  miles. 
From  the  casual  hints  given  in  the  travelling  memoranda  of 
Mr.  Stuart,  this  mountain  would  seem  to  offer  a  rich  field 
of  speculation  for  the  geologist.  Here  was  a  plain  three  miles 
in  diameter,  strewed  with  pumice  stones  and  other  volcanic 
reliques,  with  a  lake  in  the  centre,  occupying  what  had  proba 
bly  been  the  crater.  Here  were  also,  in  some  places,  deposites 
of  marine  shells,  indicating  that  this  mountain  crest  had  at 
some  remote  period  been  below  the  waves. 

After  pausing  to  repose,  and  to  enjoy  these  grand  but  savage 
and  awful  scenes,  they  began  to  descend  the  eastern  side 
of  the  mountain.  The  descent  was  rugged  and  romantic, 
along  deep  ravines  and  defiles,  overhung  with  crags  and  cliffs, 
among  which  they  beheld  numbers  of  the  ahsahta  or  bighorn, 
skipping  fearlessly  from  rock  to  rock.  Two  of  them  they 
succeeded  in  bringing  down  with  their  rifles,  as  they  peered 
fearlessly  from  the  brow  of  their  airy  precipices. 

Arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  the  travellers  found  a 
rill  of  water  oozing  out  of  the  earth,  and  resembling  in  look 
and  taste,  the  water  of  the  Missouri.  Here  they  encamped  for 


WINTRY    PLAINS.  165 

the  night,  and  supped  sumptuously  upon  their  mountain  mutton, 
which  they  found  in  good  condition,  and  extremely  well  tasted. 

The  morning  was  bright,  and  intensely  cold.  Early  in  the 
day  they  came  upon  a  stream  running  to  the  east,  between 
low  hills  of  bluish  earth,  strongly  impregnated  with  copperas. 
Mr.  Stuart  supposed  this  to  be  one  of  the  head  waters  of  the 
Missouri,  and  determined  to  follow  its  banks.  After  a  march 
of  twenty-six  miles,  however,  he  arrived  at  the  summit  of  a 
hill,  the  prospect  of  which  induced  him  to  alter  his  inten 
tion.  He  beheld,  in  every  direction  south  of  east,  a  vast  plain, 
bounded  only  by  the  horizon,  through  which  wandered  the 
stream  in  question,  in  a  south,  south-east  direction.  It  could 
not,  therefore,  be  a  branch  of  the  Missouri.  He  now  gave  up 
all  idea  of  taking  the  stream  for  his  guide,  and  shaped  his 
course  towards  a  range  of  mountains  in  the  east,  about  sixty 
miles  distant,  near  which  he  hoped  to  find  another  stream. 

The  weather  was  now  so  severe,  and  the  hardships  of 
travelling  so  great,  that  he  resolved  to  halt  for  the  winter,  at 
the  first  eligible  place.  That  night  they  had  to  encamp  on 
the  open  prairie,  near  a  scanty  pool  of  water,  and  without  any 
wood  to  make  a  fire.  The  north-east  wind  blew  keenly  across 
the  naked  waste,  and  they  were  fain  to  decamp  from  their 
inhospitable  bivouac  before  the  dawn. 

For  two  days  they  kept  on  in  an  eastward  direction,  against 
wintry  blasts  and  occasional  snow  storms.  They  suffered, 
also,  from  scarcity  of  water,  having  occasionally  to  use  melted 
snow ;  this,  with  the  want  of  pasturage,  reduced  their  old 
pack  horse  sadly.  They  saw  many  tracks  of  buffalo,  and 
some  few  bulls,  which,  however,  got  the  wind  of  them,  and 
scampered  oft'. 

On  the  26th  of  October,  they  steered  east-north-east,  for  a 
wooded  ravine,  in  a  mountain  at  a  small  distance  from  the  base 


166  NORTH    FORK   OF   THE    PLATTE    RIVER. 

of  which,  to  their  great  joy?  they  discovered  an  abundant 
stream,  running  between  willowed  banks.  .  Here  they  halted 
for  the  night,  and  Ben  Jones  having  luckily  trapped  a  beaver, 
and  killed  two  buffalo  bulls,  they  remained  all  the  next  day 
encamped,  feasting  and  reposing,  and  allowing  their  jaded 
horse  to  rest  from  his  labors. 

The  little  stream  on  which  they  were  encamped,  was  one 
of  the  head  waters  of  the  Platte  river,  which  flows  into  the 
Missouri ;  it  was  in  fact,  the  northern  fork,  or  branch  of  that 
river,  though  this  the  travellers  did  not  discover  until  long 
afterwards.  Pursuing  the  course  of  this  stream  for  about 
twenty  miles,  they  came  to  where  it  forced  a  passage  through 
a  range  of  high  hills,  covered  with  cedars,  into  an  extensive 
low  country,  affording  excellent  pasture  to  numerous  herds 
of  buffalo.  Here  they  killed  three  cows,  which  were  the  first 
they  had  been  able  to  get,  having  hitherto  had  to  content  them- 
selver  with  bull  beef,  which  at  this  season  Of  the  year  is 
very  poor.  The  hump  meat  afforded  them  a  repast  fit  for  an 
epicure. 

Late  on  the  afternoon  of  the  30th,  they  came  to  where  the 
stream,  now  increased  to  a  considerable  size,  poured  along  in 
a  ravine  between  precipices  of  red  stone,  two  hundred  feet  in 
height.  For  some  distance  it  dashed  along,  over  huge  masses 
of  rock,  with  foaming  violence,  as  if  exasperated  by  being 
compressed  into  so  narrow  a  channel,  and  at  length  leaped 
down  a  chasm  that  looked  dark  and  frightful  in  the  gathering 
twilight. 

For  a  part  of  the  next  day,  the  wild  river,  in  its  capricious 
wanderings,  led  them  through  a  variety  of  striking  scenes. 
At  one  time  they  were  upon  high  plains,  like  platforms  among 
the  mountains,  with  herds  of  buffaloes  roaming  about  them ; 
at  another,  among  rude  rocky  defiles,  broken  into  cliffs  and 


THE    FIERY    NARROWS.  167 

precipices,  wh«re  the  black-tailed  deer  bounded  off  among 
the  crags,  and  the  bighorn  basked  in  the  sunny  brow  of  the 
precipice. 

In  the  after  part  of  the  day,  they  came  to  another  scene, 
surpassing  in  savage  grandeur  those  already  described.  They 
had  been  travelling  for  some  distance  through  a  pass  of  the 
mountains,  keeping  parallel  with  the  river,  as  it  roared  along, 
out  of  sight,  through  a  deep  ravine.  Sometimes  their  devious 
path  approached  the  margin  of  cliffs  below  which  the  river 
foamed,  and  boiled  and  whirled  among  the  masses  of  rock 
that  had  fallen  into  its  channel.  As  they  crept  cautiously  on, 
leading  their  solitary  pack  horse  along  these  giddy  heights, 
they  all  at  once  came  to  where  the  river  thundered  down  a 
succession  of  precipices,  throwing  up  clouds  of  spray,  and 
making  a  prodigious  din  and  uproar.  The  travellers  remained, 
for  a  time,  gazing  with  mingled  aAve  and  delight,  at  this  furious 
cataract,  to  which  Mr.  Stuart  gave,  from  the  color  of  the 
impending  rocks,  the  name  of  "  the  Fiery  Narrows." 


168  A  HALT  AND  COUNCIL. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

WINTRY  STORMS — A  HALT  AND  COUNCIL — CANTONMENT  FOR  THE  WINTEK 
FINE    HUNTING   COUNTRY GAME    OF    THE    MOUNTAINS    AND   PLAINS 

SUCCESSFUL    HUNTING MR.    CROOKS     AND    A    GRIZZLY     BEAR THE    WIG 
WAM BIGHORN    AND    BLACKTAILS BEEF    AND   VENISON GOOD    QUARTERS 

AND     GOOD    CHEER AN    ALARM — AN    INTRUSION UNWELCOME     GUESTS 

DESOLATION      OF     THE      LARDER— GORMANDISING     EXPLOITS     OF     HUNGRV 
SAVAGES GOOD    QUARTERS    ABANDONED. 

THE  travellers  encamped  for  the  night  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  below  the  cataract..  The  night  was  cold,  with  partial 
showers  of  rain  and  sleet.  The  morning  dawned  gloomily, 
the  skies  were  sullen  and  overcast,  and  threatened  further 
storms ;  but  the  little  band  resumed  their  journey,  in  defiance 
of  the  weather.  The  increasing  rigor  of  the  season,  however, 
which  makes  itself  felt  early  in  these  mountainous  regions, 
and  on  these  naked  and  elevated  plains,  brought  them  to  a 
pause,  and  a  serious  deliberation,  after  they  had  descended 
about  thirty  miles  further  along  the  course  of  the  river. 

All  were  convinced  that  it  was  vain  to  attempt  to  accom 
plish  their  journey  on  foot,  at  this  inclement  season.  They 
had  still  many  hundred  miles  to  traverse  before  they  should 
reach  the  main  course  of  the  Missouri,  and  their  route  would 
lay  over  immense  prairies,  naked  and  bleak,  and  destitute  of 
fuel.  The  question  then  was,  where  to  choose  their  wintering 
place,  and  whether  or  not  to  proceed  further  down  the  river. 


A   WINTERING    PLACE.  169 

They  had  at  first  imagined  it  to  be  one  of  the  head  waters, 
or  tributary  streams,  of  the  Missouri.  Afterwards  they  had 
believed  it  to  be  Rapid,  or  Quicourt  river,  in  which  opinion 
they  had  not  come  nearer  to  the  truth ;  they  now,  however, 
were  persuaded,  with  equal  fallacy,  by  its  inclining  somewhat 
to  the  north  of  east,  that  it  was  the  Cheyenne.  If  so,  by  con 
tinuing  down  it  much  further  they  must  arrive  among  the 
Indians,  from  whom  the  river  takes  its  name.  Among  these 
they  would  be  sure  to  meet  some  of  the  Sioux  tribe.  These 
would  apprize  their  relatives,  the  piratical  Sioux  of  the  Mis 
souri,  of  the  approach  of  a  band  of  white  traders ;  so  that, 
in  the  spring  time,  they  would  be  likely  to  be  waylaid  and 
robbed  on  their  way  down  the  river,  by  some  party  in  ambush 
upon  its  banks. 

Even  should  this  prove  to  be  the  Quicourt  or  Rapid  river, 
it  would  not  be  prudent  to  winter  much  further  down  upon  its 
banks,  as  though  they  might  be  out  of  the  range  of  the  Sioux, 
they  would  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Poncas,  a  tribe 
nearly  as  dangerous.  It  was  resolved,  therefore,  since  they 
must  winter  somewhere  on  this  side  of  the  Missouri,  to 
descend  no  lower,  but  to  keep  up  in  these  solitary  regions, 
where  they  would  be  in  no  danger  of  molestation. 

They  were  brought  the  more  promptly  and  unanimously  to 
this  decision,  by  coming  upon  an  excellent  wintering  place, 
that  promised  every  thing  requisite  for  their  comfort.  It  was 
on  a  fine  bend  of  the  river,  just  below  where  it  issued  out  from 
among  a  ridge  of  mountains,  and  bent  towards  the  north-east. 
Here  was  a  beautiful  low  point  of  land,  covered  by  cotton- 
wood,  and  surrounded  by  a  thick  growth  of  willow,  so  as  to 
yield  both  shelter  and  fuel,  as  well  as  materials  for  building. 
The  river  swept  by  in  a  strong  current,  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  wide.  To  the  south-east  were  mountains  of  mod- 

VOL.  II.  15 


170        BEARS,    BIGHORNS,    AND   BLACK-TAILED   DEER. 

erate  height,  the  nearest  about  two  miles  off,  but  the  whole 
chain  ranging  to  the  east,  south,  and  south-west,  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach.  Their  summits  were  crowned  with  exten 
sive  tracts  of  pitch  pine,  chequered  with  small  patches  of  the 
quivering  aspen.  Lower  down  were  thick  forests  of  firs  and 
red  cedars,  growing  out  in  many  places  from  the  very  fissures 
of  the  rocks.  The  mountains  were  broken  and  precipitous, 
with  huge  bluffs  protruding  from  among  the  forests.  Their 
rocky  recesses,  and  beetling  cliffs,  afforded  retreats  to  innu 
merable  flocks  of  the  bighorn,  while  their  woody  summits  and 
ravines  abounded  with  bears,  and  black-tailed  deer.  These, 
with  the  numerous  herds  of  buffalo  that  ranged  the  lower 
grounds  along  the  river,  promised  the  travellers  abundant  cheer 
in  their  winter  quarters. 

On  the  2d  of  November,  therefore,  they  pitched  their  camp 
for  the  winter,  on  the  woody  point,  and  their  first  thought  was, 
to  obtain  a  supply  of  provisions.  Ben  Jones  and  the  two  Ca 
nadians  accordingly  sallied  forth,  accompanied  by  two  others 
of  the  party,  leaving  but  one  to  watch  the  camp.  Their  hunt 
ing  was  uncommonly  successful.  In  the  course  of  two  days, 
they  killed  thirty-two  buffaloes,  and  collected  their  meat  on  the 
margin  of  a  small  brook,  about  a  mile  distant.  Fortunately, 
a  severe  frost  froze  the  river,  so  that  the  meat  was  easily 
transported  to  the  encampment.  On  a  succeeding  day,  a  herd 
of  buffalo  came  trampling  through  the  woody  bottom  on  the 
river  banks,  and  fifteen  more  were  killed. 

It  was  soon  discovered,  however,  that  there  was  game  of  a 
more  dangerous  nature  in  the  neighborhood.  On  one  occasion, 
Mr.  Crooks  had  wandered  about  a  mile  from  the  camp,  and 
had  ascended  a  small  hill  commanding  a  view  of  the  river. 
He  was  without  his  rifle,  a  rare  circumstance,  for  in  these  wild 
regions,  where  one  may  put  up  a  wild  animal,  or  a  wild  Indian, 


MR.  CROOKS  AND  A  GRIZZLY  BEAR.        171 

at  every  turn,  it  is  customary  never  to  stir  from  the  camp-fire 
unarmed.  The  hill  where  he  stood  overlooked  the  place 
where  the  massacre  of  the  buffalo  had  taken  place.  As  he 
was  looking  around  on  the  prospect,  his  eye  was  caught  by 
an  object  below,  moving  directly  towards  him.  To  his  dis 
may,  he  discovered  it  to  be  a  grizzly  bear,  with  two  cubs. 
There  was  no  tree  at  hand  into  which  he  could  climb ;  to  run, 
would  only  be  to  provoke  pursuit,  and  he  should  soon  be  over 
taken.  He  threw  himself  on  the  ground,  therefore,  and  lay 
motionless,  watching  the  movements  of  the  animal  with  intense 
anxiety.  It  continued  to  advance  until  at  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
where  it  turned,  and  made  into  the  woods,  having  probably 
gorged  itself  with  buffalo  flesh.  Mr.  Crooks  made  all  haste 
back  to  the  camp,  rejoicing  at  his  escape,  and  determining 
never  to  stir  out  again  without  his  rifle.  A  few  days  after  this 
circumstance,  a  grizzly  bear  was  shot  in  the  neighborhood,  by 
Mr.  Miller. 

As  the  slaughter  of  so  many  buffaloes  had  provided  the 
party  with  beef  for  the  winter,  in  case  they  met  with  no 
further  supply,  they  now  set  to  work,  heart  and  hand,  to  build 
a  comfortable  wigwam.  In  a  little  while  the  woody  promon 
tory  rang  with  the  unwonted  sound  of  the  axe.  Some  of  its 
lofty  trees  were  laid  low,  and  by  the  second  evening  the  cabin 
was  complete.  It  was  eight  feet  wide,  and  eighteen  feet  long. 
The  walls  were  six  feet  high,  and  the  whole  was  covered  with 
buffalo  skins.  The  fire-place  was  in  the  centre,  and  the  smoke 
found  its  way  out  by  a  hole  in  the  roof. 

The  hunters  were  next  sent  out  to  procure  deer-skins  for 
garments,  moccasins,  and  other  purposes.  They  made  the 
mountains  echo  with  their  rifles,  and,  in  the  course  of  two 
day's  hunting,  killed  twenty-eight  bighorns  and  black-tailed 
deer. 


172  COMFORTABLE  QUARTERS. 

The  party  now  revelled  in  abundance.  After  all  that  they 
had  suffered  from  hunger,  cold,  fatigue  and  watchfulness ;  after 
all  their  perils  from  treacherous  and  savage  men,  they  exulted 
in  the  snugness  and  security  of  their  isolated  cabin,  hidden,  as 
they  thought,  even  from  the  prying  eyes  of  Indian  scouts, 
and  stored  with  creature  comforts ;  and  they  looked  forward 
to  a  winter  of  peace  and  quietness ;  of  roasting,  and  boiling, 
and  broiling,  and  feasting  upon  venison,  and  mountain  mutton, 
and  bear's  meat,  and  marrow  bones,  and  buffalo  humps,  and 
other  hunter's  dainties,  and  of  dosing  and  reposing  round  their 
fire,  and  gossipping  over  past  dangers  and  adventures,  and 
telling  long  hunting  stories,  until  spring  should  return ;  when 
they  would  make  canoes  of  buffalo  skins,  and  float  themselves 
down  the  river. 

From  such  halcyon  dreams,  they  were  startled  one  morning, 
at  daybreak,  by  a  savage  yelp.  They  started  up  and  seized 
their  rifles.  The  yelp  was  repeated  by  two  or  three  voices. 
Cautiously  peeping  out,  they  beheld,  to  their  dismay,  several 
Indian  warriors  among  the  trees,  all  armed  and  painted  in 
warlike  style  ;  being  evidently  bent  on  some  hostile  purpose. 

Miller  changed  countenance  as  he  regarded  them.  "We 
are  in  trouble,"  said  he,  "these  are  some  of  the  rascally 
Arapahays  that  robbed  me  last  year."  Not  a  word  was  uttered 
by  the  rest  of  the  party,  but  they  silently  slung  their  powder 
horns  and  ball  pouches,  and  prepared  for  battle.  M'Lellan, 
who  had  taken  his  gun  to  pieces  the  evening  before,  put  it 
together  in  all  haste.  He  proposed  that  they  should  break 
out  the  clay  from  between  the  logs,  so  as  to  be  able  to  fire 
upon  the  enemy. 

"  Not  yet,"  replied  Stuart ;  "  it  will  not  do  to  show  fear  or 
distrust ;  we  must  first  hold  a  parley.  Some  one  must  go  out 
and  meet  them  as  a  friend." 


UNWELCOME   VISITERS.  173 

Who  was  to  undertake  the  task !  it  was  full  of  peril,  as  the 
envoy  might  be  shot  down  at  the  threshold. 

"  The  leader  of  a  party,"  said  Miller,  "  always  takes  the 
advance." 

"Good!"  replied  Stuart;  "I  am  ready."  He  immediately 
went  forth ;  one  of  the  Canadians  followed  him ;  the  rest  of 
the  party  remained  in  garrison,  to  keep  the  savages  in  check. 

Stuart  advanced  holding  his  rifle  in  one  hand,  and  extending 
the  other  to  the  savage  that  appeared  to  be  the  chief.  The 
latter  stepped  forward  and  took  it ;  his  men  followed  his  ex 
ample,  and  all  shook  hands  with  Stuart,  in  token  of  friendship. 
They  now  explained  their  errand.  They  were  a  war  party 
of  Arapahay  braves.  Their  village  lay  on  a  stream  several 
day's  journey  to  the  eastward.  It  had  been  attacked  and 
ravaged  during  their  absence,  by  a  band  of  Crows,  who  had 
carried  off  several  of  their  women,  and  most  of  their  horses. 
They  were  in  quest  of  vengeance.  For  sixteen  days  they 
had  been  tracking  the  Crows  about  the  mountains,  but  had 
not  yet  come  upon  them.  In  the  mean  time  they  had  met 
with  scarcely  any  game,  and  were  half  famished.  About  two 
days  previously,  they  had  heard  the  report  of  fire-arms  among 
the  mountains,  and  on  searching  in  the  direction  of  the  sound, 
had  come  to  a  place  where  a  deer  had  been  killed.  They 
had  immediately  put  themselves  upon  the  track  of  the  hunters, 
and  by  following  it  up,  had  arrived  at  the  cabin. 

Mr.  Stuart  now  invited  the  chief  and  another,  who  appeared 
to  be  his  lieutenant,  into  the  hut,  but  made  signs  that  no  one 
else  was  to  enter.  The  rest  halted  at  the  door ;  others  came 
straggling  up,  until  the  whole  party,  to  the  number  of  twenty- 
three,  were  gathered  before  the  hut.  They  were  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows,  tomahawks  and  scalping  knives,  and  some 

few  with  guns.     All  were  painted  and  dressed  for  war,  and 

15* 


174  INDIAN    GORMANDIZING. 

had  a  wild  and  fierce  appearance.  Mr.  Miller  recognised 
among  them  some  of  the  very  fellows  who  had  robbed  him  in 
the  preceding  year ;  and  put  his  comrades  upon  their  guard. 
Every  man  stood  ready  to  resist  the  first  act  of  hostility ;  the 
savages,  however,  conducted  themselves  peaceably,  and  showed 
none  of  that  swaggering  arrogance  which  a  war  party  is  apt 
to  assume. 

On  entering  the  hut  the  chief  and  his  lieutenant  cast  a  wilful 
look  at  the  rafters,  laden  with  venison  and  buffalo  meat.  Mr. 
Stuart  made  a  merit  of  necessity,  and  invited  them  to  help 
themselves.  They  did  not  wait  to  be  pressed.  The  rafters 
were  soon  eased  of  their  burthen ;  venison  and  beef  were  passed 
out  to  the  crew  before  the  door,  and  a  scene  of  gormandizing 
commenced,  of  which  few  can  have  an  idea,  who  have  not 
witnessed  the  gastronomic  powers  of  an  Indian,  after  an  in 
terval  of  fasting.  This  was  kept  up  throughout  the  day  ;  they 
paused  now  and  then,  it  is  true,  for  a  brief  interval,  but  only 
to  return  to  the  charge  with  renewed  ardor.  The  chief  and 
the  lieutenant  surpassed  all  the  rest  in  the  vigor  and  perse 
verance  of  their  attacks ;  as  if,  from  their  station  they  were 
bound  to  signalize  themselves  in  all  onslaughts.  Mr.  Stuart 
kept  them  well  supplied  with  choice  bits,  for  it  was  his  policy 
to  over-feed  them,  and  keep  them  from  leaving  the  hut,  where 
they  served  as  hostages  for  the  good  conduct  of  their  followers. 
Once,  only,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  did  the  chief  sally  forth. 
Mr.  Stuart  and  one  of  the  men  accompanied  him,  armed  with 
their  rifles,  but  without  betraying  any  distrust.  The  chieftain 
soon  returned,  and  renewed  his  attack  upon  the  larder.  In  a 
word,  he  and  his  worthy  coadjutor,  the  lieutenant,  ate  until 
they  were  both  stupified. 

Towards  evening  the  Indians  made  their  preparations  for 
the  night  according  to  the  practice  of  war  parties.  Those 


INDIAN    GORMANDIZING.  175 

outside  of  the  hut  threw  up  two  breast  works,  into  which  they 
retired  at  a  tolerably  early  hour,  and  slept  like  over-fed  hounds. 
As  to  the  chief  and  his  lieutenant,  they  passed  the  night  in 
the  hut,  in  the  course  of  which,  they,  two  or  three  times,  got 
up  to  eat.  The  travellers  took  turns,  one  at  a  time,  to  mount 
guard  until  the  morning. 

Scarce  had  the  day  dawned,  when  the  gormandizing  was 
renewed  by  the  whole  band,  and  carried  on  with  surprising 
vigor  until  ten  o'clock,  when  all  prepared  to  depart.  They 
had  six  day's  journey  yet  to  make,  they  said,  before  they 
should  come  up  with  the  Crows,  who  they  understood  were 
encamped  on  a  river  to  the  northward.  Their  way  lay  through 
a  hungry  country  where  there  was  no  game  ;  they  would  more 
over,  have  but  little  time  to  hunt ;  they,  therefore,  craved  a 
small  supply  of  provisions  for  the  journey.  Mr.  Stuart  again 
invited  them  to  help  themselves.  They  did  so  with  keen 
forethought,  loading  themselves  with  the  choicest  parts  of  the 
meat,  and  leaving  the  late  plenteous  larder  far  gone  in  a 
consumption.  Their  next  request  was  for  a  supply  of  amu- 
nition,  having  guns,  but  no  powder  and  ball.  They  promised 
to  pay  magnificently  out  of  the  spoils  of  their  foray.  "  We 
are  poor  now,"  said  they,  "  and  are  obliged  to  go  on  foot,  but 
we  shall  soon  come  back  laden  with  booty,  and  all  mounted 
on  horseback,  with  scalps  hanging  at  our  bridles.  We  will 
then  give  each  of  you  a  horse  to  keep  you  from  being  tired  on 
your  journey." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Stuart,  "  when  you  bring  the  horses,  you 
shall  have  the  ammunition,  but  not  before."  The  Indians  saw 
by  his  determined  tone,  that  all  further  entreaty  would  be 
unavailing,  so  they  desisted,  with  a  good  humored  laugh,  and 
went  off  exceedingly  well  freighted,  both  within  and  without, 
promising  to  be  back  again  in  the  course  of  a  fortnight. 


176          GOOD  QUARTERS  ABANDONED. 

No  sooner  were  they  out  of  hearing,  than  the  luckless 
travellers  held  another  council.  The  security  of  their  cabin 
was  at  an  end,  and  with  it  all  their  dreams  of  a  quiet  and 
cosey  winter.  They  were  between  two  fires.  On  one  side 
were  their  old  enemies,  the  Crows ;  on  the  other  side,  the 
Arapahays,  no  less  dangerous  freebooters.  As  to  the  modera 
tion  of  this  war  party,  they  considered  it  assumed,  to  put  them 
off  their  guard  against  some  more,  favorable  opportunity  for  a 
surprisal.  It  was  determined,  therefore,  not  to  await  their 
return,  but  to  abandon,  with  all  speed,  this  dangerous  neighbor 
hood.  From  the  accounts  of  their  recent  visitors,  they  were 
led  to  believe,  though  erroneously,  that  they  were  upon  the 
Quicourt,  or  Rapid  river.  They  proposed  now  to  keep  along 
it,  to  its  confluence  with  the  Missouri ;  but,  should  they  be 
prevented  by  the  rigors  of  the  season,  from  proceeding  so  far, 
at  least  to  reach  a  part  of  the  river  where  they  might  be  able 
to  construct  canoes  of  greater  strength  and  durability  than 
those  of  buffalo  skins. 

Accordingly,  on  the  13th  of  December,  they  bade  adieu, 
with  many  a  regret,  to  their  comfortable  quarters,  where,  for 
five  weeks,  they  had  been  indulging  the  sweets  of  repose, 
of  plenty,  and  of  fancied  security.  They  were  still  accom 
panied  by  their  veteran  pack  horse,  which  the  Arapahays  had 
omitted  to  steal,  either  because  they  intended  to  steal  him  on 
their  return,  or  because  they  thought  him  not  worth  stealing. 


WINTRY   TRAVELLING.  17? 


CHAPTER    XX. 

ROUGH  WINTRY   TRAVELLING HILLS  AND  PLAINS SNOW  AND  ICE DIS 
APPEARANCE   OF  GAME A  VAST  DREARY  PLAlN-^-A   SECOND  HALT  FOR 

THE  WINTER ANOTHER  WIGWAM NEW-YEAR'S  FEAST BUFFALO  HUMPS, 

TONGUES,  AND  MARROW  BONES RETURN  OF  SPRING LAUNCH  OF  CANOES 

BAD  NAVIGATION PEDESTRIAN  MARCH VAST  PRAIRIES DESERTED  CAMPS 

— PAWNEE  SQUAWS — AN  OTTO  INDIAN — NEWS  OF  WAR — VOYAGE  DOWN 
THE  PLATTE,  AND  THE  MISSOURI — RECEPTION  AT  FORT  OSAGE — ARRIVAL 
AT  ST.  Louis. 

THE  interval  of  comfort  and  repose  which  the  party  had  en 
joyed  in  their  wigwam,  rendered  the  renewal  of  their  fatigues 
intolerable  for  the  first  two  or  three  days.  The  snow  lay  deep, 
and  was  slightly  frozen  on  the  surface,  but  not  sufficiently  to 
bear  their  weight.  Their  feet  became  sore  by  breaking 
through  the  crust,  and  their  limbs  weary  by  floundering  on 
without  firm  foothold.  So  exhausted  and  dispirited  were  they, 
that  they  began  to  think  it  would  be  better  to  remain  and  run 
the  risk  of  being  killed  by  the  Indians,  than  to  drag  on  thus 
painfully,  with  the  probability  of  perishing  by  the  way.  Their 
miserable  horse  fared  no  better  than  themselves,  having  for  the 
first  day  or  two  no  other  fodder  than  the  ends  of  willow  twigs, 
and  the  bark  of  the  cotton-wood  tree. 

They  all,  however,  appeared  to  gain  patience  and  hardihood 
as  they  proceeded,  and  for  fourteen  days  kept  steadily  on, 
making  a  distance  of  about  three  hundred  and  thirty  miles. 


178  SCENERY   ALONG   THE    RITER. 

For  some  days,  the  range  of  mountains  which  had  been  near 
to  their  wigwam,  kept  parallel  to  the  river  at  no  great  distance, 
but  at  length  subsided  into  hills.  Sometimes  they  found  the 
river  bordered  with  alluvial  bottoms,  and  groves  with  cotton- 
wood  and  willows ;  sometimes  the  adjacent  country  was  naked 
and  barren.  In  one  place  it  ran  for  a  considerable  distance 
between  rocky  hills  and  promontories  covered  with  cedar  and 
pitch  pines,  and  peopled  with  the  bighorn  and  the  mountain 
deer ;  at  other  places  it  wandered  through  prairies  well  stocked 
with  buffaloes  and  antelopes.  As  they  descended  the  course 
of  the  river,  they  began  to  perceive  the  ash  and  white  oak  here 
and  there  among  the  cotton-wood  and  willow  ;  and  at  length 
caught  a  sight  of  some  wild  horses  on  the  distant  prairies. 

The  weather  was  various  ;  at  one  time  the  snow  lay  deep ; 
then  they  had  a  genial  day  or  two,  with  the  mildness  and 
serenity  of  autumn ;  then  again,  the  frost  was  so  severe  that 
the  river  was  sufficiently  frozen  to  bear  them  upon  the  ice. 

During  the  last  three  days  of  their  fortnight's  travel,  how 
ever,  the  face  of  the  country  changed.  The  timber  gradually 
diminished,  until  they  could  scarcely  find  fuel  sufficient  for 
culinary  purposes.  The  game  grew  more  and  more  scanty, 
and  finally,  none  were  to  be  seen  but  a  few  miserable  broken 
down  buffalo  bulls,  not  worth  killing.  The  snow  lay  fifteen 
inches  deep,  and  made  the  travelling  grievously  painful  and 
toilsome.  At  length  they  came  to  an  immense  plain,  where 
no  vestige  of  timber  was  to  be  seen ;  nor  a  single  quadruped 
to  enliven  the  desolate  landscape.  Here,  then,  their  hearts 
failed  them,  and  they  held  another  consultation.  The  width 
of  the  river,  which  was  upwards  of  a  mile,  its  extreme  shal- 
lowness,  the  frequency  of  quicksands,  and  various  other  cha 
racteristics,  had  at  length  made  them  sensible  of  their  errors 
with  respect  to  it,  and  they  now  came  to  the  correct  conclusion, 


SECOND    CANTONMENT.  179 

that  they  were  on  the  banks  of  the  Platte  or  Shallow  river. 
What  were  they  to  do  1  Pursue  its  course  to  the  Missouri  1 
To  go  on  at  this  season  of  the  year  seemed  dangerous  in  the 
extreme.  There  was  no  prospect  of  obtaining  either  food  or 
firing.  The  country  was  destitute  of  trees,  and  though  there 
might  be  drift  wood  along  the  river,  it  lay  too  deep  beneath  the 
snow  for  them  to  find  it. 

The  weather  was  threatening  a  change,  and  a  snow  storm 
on  these  boundless  wastes,  might  prove  as  fatal  as  a  whirlwind 
of  sand  on  an  Arabian  desert.  After  much  dreary  deliberation, 
it  was  at  length  determined  to  retrace  their  three  last  days' 
journey,  of  seventy-seven  miles,  to  a  place  which  they  had 
remarked ;  where  there  was  a  sheltering  growth  of  forest 
trees,  and  a  country  abundant  in  game.  Here  they  would 
once  more  set  up  their  winter  quarters,  and  await  the  opening 
of  the  navigation  to  launch  themselves  in  canoes. 

Accordingly,  on  the  27th  of  December  they  faced  about, 
retraced  their  steps,  and  on  the  30th,  regained  the  part  of  the 
river  in  question.  Here  the  alluvial  bottom  was  from  one  to 
two  miles  wide,  and  thickly  covered  with  a  forest  of  cotton- 
wood  trees  ;  while  herds  of  buffalo  were  scattered  about  the 
neighboring  prairie,  several  of  which  soon  fell  beneath  their 
rifles. 

They  encamped  on  the  margin  of  the  river,  in  a  grove  where 
there  were  trees  large  enough  for  canoes.  Here  they  put  up 
a  shed  for  immediate  shelter,  and  immediately  proceeded  to 
erect  a  hut.  New-year's  day  dawned  when,  as  yet,  but  one 
wall  of  their  cabin  was  completed  ;  the  genial  and  jovial  day, 
however,  was  not  permitted  to  pass  uncelebrated,  even  by  this 
weather  beaten  crew  of  wanderers.  All  work  was  suspended, 
except  that  of  roasting  and  boiling.  The  choicest  of  the  buf 
falo  meat,  with  tongues,  and  humps,  and  marrow  bones,  were 


180  WINTER   QUARTERS. 

devoured  in  quantities  that  would  astonish  any  one  that  has 
not  lived  among  hunters  or  Indians  ;  and  as  an  extra  regale, 
having  no  tobacco  left,  they  cut  up  an  old  tobacco  pouch,  still 
redolent  with  the  potent  herb,  and  smoked  it  in  honor  of  the 
day.  Thus  for  a  time,  in  present  revelry,  however  uncouth, 
they  forgot  all  past  troubles  and  all  anxieties  about  the  future, 
and  their  forlorn  wigwam  echoed  to  the  sound  of  gayety. 

The  next  day  they  resumed  their  labors,  and  by  the  6th 
of  the  month  it  was  complete.  They  soon  killed  abundance 
of  buffalo,  and  again  laid  in  a  stock  of  winter  provisions. 

The  party  were  more  fortunate  in  this  their  second  canton 
ment.  The  winter  passed  away  without  any  Indian  visiters  : 
and  the  game  continued  to  be  plenty  in  the  neighborhood. 
They  felled  two  large  trees,  and  shaped  them  into  canoes ; 
and,  as  the  spring  opened,  and  a  thaw  of  several  days  contin 
uance  melted  the  ice  in  the  river,  they  made  every  preparation 
for  embarking.  On  the  8th  of  March  they  launched  forth  in 
their  canoes,  but  soon  found  that  the  river  had  not  depth  suffi 
cient  even  for  such  slender  barks.  It  expanded  into  a  wide, 
but  extremely  shallow  stream,  with  many  sand  bars,  and  occa 
sionally  various  channels.  They  got  one  of  their  canoes  a 
few  miles  down  it,  with  extreme  difficulty,  sometimes  wading, 
and  dragging  it  over  the  shoals  ;  at  length  they  had  to  abandon 
the  attempt,  and  to  resume  their  journey  on  foot,  aided  by  their 
faithful  old  pack  horse,  who  had  recruited  strength  during  the 
repose  of  the  winter. 

The  weather  delayed  them  for  a  few  days,  having  suddenly 
become  more  rigorous  than  it  had  been  at  any  time  during  the 
winter ;  but  on  the  20th  of  March  they  were  again  on  their 
journey. 

In  two  days  they  arrived  at  the  vast  naked  prairie,  the 
wintry  aspect  of  which  had  caused  them,  in  December,  to 


IMMENSE    PLAINS.  181 

pause  and  turn  back.  It  was  now  clothed  in  the  early  verdure 
of  spring,  and  plentifully  stocked  with  game.  Still,  when 
obliged  to  bivouac  on  its  bare  surface,  without  any  shelter,  and 
by  a  scanty  fire  of  dry  buffalo  dung,  they  found  the  night  blasts 
piercing  cold.  On  one  occasion,  a  herd  of  buffalo,  straying 
near  their  evening  camp,  they  killed  three  of  them  merely  for 
their  hides,  wherewith  to  make  a  shelter  for  the  night. 

They  continued  on  for  upwards  of  a  hundred  miles ;  with 
vast  prairies  extending  before  trfem  as  they  advanced  ;  some 
times  diversified  by  undulating  hills,  but  destitute  of  trees.  In 
one  place  they  saw  a  gang  of  sixty-five  wild  horses,  but  as  to 
the  buffaloes,  they  seemed  absolutely  to  cover  the  country. 
Wild  geese  abounded,  and  they  passed  extensive  swamps 
that  were  alive  with  innumerable  flocks  of  waterfowl,  among 
which  were  a  few  swans,  but  an  endless  variety  of  ducks. 

The  river  continued  a  winding  course  to  the  east-northeast, 
nearly  a  mile  in  width,  but  too  shallow  to  float  even  an  empty 
canoe.  The  country  spread  out  into  a  vast  level  plain,  bound 
ed  by  the  horizon  alone,  excepting  to  the  north,  where  a  line 
of  hills  seemed  like  a  long  promontory  stretching  into  the 
bosom  of  the  ocean.  The  dreary  sameness  of  the  prairie 
wastes  began  to  grow  extremely  irksome.  The  travellers 
longed  for  the  sight  of  a  forest,  or  grove,  or  single  tree,  to 
break  the  level  uniformity,  and  began  to  notice  every  object 
that  gave  reason  to  hope  they  were  drawing  towards  the  end 
of  this  weary  wilderness.  Thus  the  occurrence  of  a  particular 
kind  of  grass  was  hailed  as  a  proof  that  they  could  not  be  far 
from  the  bottoms  of  the  Missouri ;  and  they  were  rejoiced  at 
putting  up  several  prairie  hens,  a  kind  of  grouse  seldom  found 
far  in  the  interior.  In  picking  up  drift  wood  for  fuel,  also, 
they  found  on  some  pieces  the  mark  of  an  axe,  which  caused 

much  speculation  as  to  the  time  when  and  the  persons  by 
VOL.  n.  16 


182  DESERTED    CAMPS. 

whom  the  trees  had  been  felled.  Thus  they  went  on,  like 
sailors  at  sea,  who  perceive  in  every  floating  weed  and  wan 
dering  bird,  harbingers  of  the  wished-for  land. 

By  the  close  of  the  month  the  weather  became  very  mild, 
and,  heavily  burthened  as  they  were,  they  found  the  noontide 
temperature  uncomfortably  warm.  On  the  30th,  they  came  to 
three  deserted  hunting  camps,  either  of  Pawnees  or  Ottoes, 
about  which  were  buffalo  sculls  in  all  directions  ;  and  the 
frames  on  which  the  hides  had  been  stretched  and  cured. 
They  had  apparently  been  occupied  the  preceding  autumn. 

For  several  days  they  kept  patiently  on,  watching  every 
sign  that  might  give  them  an  idea  as  to  where  they  were,  and 
how  near  to  the  banks  of  the  Missouri. 

Though  there  were  numerous  traces  of  hunting  parties  and 
encampments,  they  were  not  of  recent  date.  The  country 
seemed  deserted.  The  only  human  beings  they  met  with 
were  three  Pawnee  squaws,  in  a  hut  in  the  midst  of  a  deserted 
camp.  Their  people  had  all  gone  to  the  south,  in  pursuit  of 
the  buffalo,  and  had  left  these  poor  women  behind,  being  too 
sick  and  infirm  to  travel. 

It  is  a  common  practice  with  the  Pawnees,  and  probably 
with  other  roving  tribes,  when  departing  on  a  distant  expedi 
tion,  which  will  not  admit  of  incumbrance  or  delay,  to  leave 
their  aged  and  infirm  with  a  supply  of  provisions  sufficient  for 
temporary  subsistence.  When  this  is  exhausted  they  must 
perish,  though  sometimes  their  sufferings  are  abridged  by 
hostile  prowlers  who  may  visit  the  deserted  camp. 

The  poor  squaws  in  question  expected  some  such  fate  at 
the  hands  of  the  white  strangers,  and  though  the  latter  accosted 
them  in  the  kindest  manner,  and  made  them  presents  of  dried 
buffalo  meat,  it  was  impossible  to  soothe  their  alarm,  or  get 
any  information  from  them. 


AN    OTTO    VILLAGE WHITE    TRADERS.  183 

The  first  landmark  by  which  the  travellers  were  enabled  to 
conjecture  their  position  with  any  degree  of  confidence,  was 
an  island  about  seventy  miles  in  length,  which  they  presumed 
to  be  Grand  isle.  If  so,  they  were  within  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles  of  the  Missouri.  They  kept  on,  therefore,  with 
renewed  spirit,  and  at  the  end  of  three  days  met  with  an  Otto 
Indian,  by  whom  they  were  confirmed  in  their  conjecture. 
They  learnt  at  the  same  time  another  piece  of  information,  of 
an  uncomfortable  nature.  According  to  his  account,  there  was 
war  between  the  United  States  and  England,  and  in  fact  it 
had  existed  for  a  whole  year,  during  which  time  they  had  been 
beyond  the  reach  of  all  knowledge  of  the  affairs  of  the  civilized 
world. 

The  Otto  conducted  the  travellers  to  his  village,  situated  a 
short  distance  from  the  banks  of  the  Flatte.  Here  they  were 
delighted  to  meet  with  two  white  men,  Messrs.  Dornin  and 
Roi,  Indian  traders  recently  from  St.  Louis.  Of  these  they 
had  a  thousand  inquiries  to  make  concerning  all  affairs,  foreign 
and  domestic,  during  their  year  of  sepulture  in  the  wilderness  ; 
and  especially  about  the  events  of  the  existing  war. 

They  now  prepared  to  abandon  their  weary  travel  by  land, 
and  to  embark  upon  the  water.  A  bargain  was  made  with  Mr. 
Dornin,  who  engaged  to  furnish  them  with  a  canoe  and  provi 
sions  for  the  voyage,  in  exchange  for  their  venerable  and  well- 
tried  fellow  traveller,  the  old  Snake  horse. 

Accordingly,  in  a  couple  of  days,  the  Indians  employed  by 
that  gentleman,  constructed  for  th'em  a  canoe  twenty  feet  long, 
four  feet  wide,  and  eighteen  inches  deep.  The  frame  was  of 
poles  and  willow  twigs,  on  which  were  stretched  five  elk  and 
buffalo  hides,  sewed  together  with  sinews,  and  the  seams 
payed  with  unctuous  mud.  In  this  they  embarked  at  an  early 
hour  on  the  16th  of  April,  and  drifted  down  ten  miles  with  the 


184  VOYAGE    TO    ST.  LOUIS. 

stream,  when  the  wind  being  high  they  encamped,  arid  set  to 
work  to  make  oars,  which  they  had  not  been  able  to  procure 
at  the  Indian  village. 

Once  more  afloat,  they  went  merrily  down  the  stream,  and 
after  making  thirty-five  miles,  emerged  into  the  broad  turbid 
current  of  the  Missouri.  Here  they  were  borne  along  briskly 
by  the  rapid  stream,  though,  by  the  time  their  fragile  bark  had 
floated  a  couple  of  hundred  miles,  its  frame  began  to  show  the 
effects  of  the  voyage.  Luckily  they  came  to  the  deserted 
wintering  place  of  some  hunting  party,  where  they  found  two 
old  wooden  canoes.  Taking  possession  of  the  largest,  they 
again  committed  themselves  to  the  current,  and  after  dropping 
down  fifty-five  miles  further,  arrived  safely  at  fort  Osage. 

Here  they  found  Lieutenant  Brownson  still  in  command ; 
the  officer  who  had  given  the  expedition  a  hospitable  reception 
on  its  way  up  the  river,  eighteen  months  previously.  He 
received  this  remnant  of  the  party  with  a  cordial  welcome, 
and  endeavored  in  every  way  to  promote  their  comfort  and 
enjoyment  during  their  sojourn  at  the  fort.  The  greatest 
Juxury  they  met  with  on  their  return  to  the  abode  of  civilized 
man,  was  bread,  not  having  tasted  any  for  nearly  a  year. 

Their  stay  at  fort  Osage  was  but  short.  On  re-embarking 
they  were  furnished  with  an  ample  supply  of  provisions  by  the 
kindness  of  Lieutenant  Brownson,  and  performed  the  rest  of 
their  voyage  without  adverse  circumstance.  On  the  30th  of 
April  they  arrived  in  perfect  health  and  fine  spirits  at  St.  Louis, 
having  been  ten  months  performing  this  perilous  expedition 
from  Astoria.  Their  return  caused  quite  a  sensation  at  the 
place,  bringing  the  first  intelligence  of  the  fortune  of  Mr.  Hunt 
atod  his  party,  in  their  adventurous  route  across  the  Rocky 
mountains,  and  of  the  new  establishment  on  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific. 


COMMERCIAL   ARRANGEMENTS.  185 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

AGREEMENT  BETWEEN  MR.  ASTOR  AND  THE  RUSSIAN  FUR  COMPANY — 
WAR  BETWEEN  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  GREAT  BRITAIN INSTRUC 
TIONS  TO  CAPTAIN  SOWLE  OF  THE  BEAVER — FITTING  OUT  OF  THE  LARK 

NEWS    OF    THE    ARRIVAL    OF    MR.    STUART. 

IT  is  now  necessary,  in  linking  together  the  parts  of  this 
excursive  narrative,  that  we  notice  the  proceedings  of  Mr. 
Astor,  in  support  of  his  great  undertaking.  His  project  with 
respect  to  the  Russian  establishments  along  the  north-west 
coast,  had  been  diligently  prosecuted.  The  agent  sent  by  him 
to  St.  Petersburgh,  to  negotiate  in  his  name  as  president  of 
the  American  Fur  Company,  had,  under  sanction  of  the  Rus 
sian  government,  made  a  provisional  agreement  with  the 
Russian  company.  . 

By  this  agreement,  which  was  ratified  by  Mr.  Astor  in  1813, 
the  two  companies  bound  themselves  not  to  interfere  with 
each  other's  trading  and  hunting  grounds,  nor  to  furnish  arms 
and  ammunition  to  the  Indians.  They  were  to  act  in  concert, 
also,  against  all  interlopers,  and  to  succor  each  other  in  case 
of  danger.  The  American  company  was  to  have  the  exclusive 
right  of  supplying  the  Russian  posts  with  goods  and  necessa 
ries,  receiving  peltries  in  payment  at  stated  prices.  They 
were,  also,  if  so  requested  by  the  Russian  governor,  to  convey 

the  furs  of  the  Russian  company  to  Canton,  sell  them  on  com* 

16* 


186  DECLARATION    OF    WAR. 

mission,  and  bring  back  the  proceeds,  at  such  freight  as  might 
be  agreed  on  at  the  time.  This  agreement  was  to  continue  in 
operation  four  years,  and  to  be  renewable  for  a  similar  term, 
unless  some  unforeseen  contingency  should  render  a  modifica 
tion  necessary. 

It  was  calculated  to  be  of  .great  service  to  the  infant  estab 
lishment  at  Astoria ;  dispelling  the  fears  of  hostile  rivalry  on 
the  part  of  the  foreign  companies  in  its  neighborhood,  and 
giving  a  formidable  blow  to  the  irregular  trade  along  the  coast. 
It  was  also  the  intention  of  Mr.  Astor  to  have  coasting  vessels 
of  his  own,  at  Astoria,  of  small  tonnage  and  draft  of  water, 
fitted  for  coasting  service.  These,  having  a  place  of  shelter 
and  deposit,  could  ply  about  the  coast  in  short  voyages,  in 
favorable  weather,  and  would  have  vast  advantage  over  chance 
ships,  which  must  make  long  voyages,  maintain  numerous 
crews,  and  could  only  approach  the  coast  at  certain  seasons 
of  the  year.  He  hoped,  therefore,  gradually  to  make  Astoria 
the  great  emporium  of  the  American  fur  trade  in  the  Pacific, 
and  the  nucleus  of  a  powerful  American  state.  Unfortunately 
for  these  sanguine  anticipations,  before  Mr.  Astor  had  ratified 
the  agreement,  as  above  stated,  war  broke  out  between  the 
United, plates  and  Great  Britain.  He  perceived  at  once,  the 
peril  of  the  case.  The  harbor  of  New  York  would  doubtless 
be  blockaded,  and  the  departure  of  the  annual  supply  ship  in 
the  autumn  prevented  ;  or,  if  she  should  succeed  in  getting  out 
to  sea,  she  might  be  captured  on  her  voyage. 

In  this  emergency,  he  wrote  to  Captain  Sowle,  commander 
of  the  Beaver.  The  letter,  which  was  addressed  to  him  at 
Canton,  directed  him  to  proceed  to  the  factory  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia,  with  such  articles  as  the  establishment  might 
need ;  and  to  remain  there,  subject  to  the  orders  of  Mr.  Hunt, 
should  that  gentleman  be  in  command  there. 


RUMORS    AND    PERPLEXITIES.  187 

The  war  continued.  No  tidings  had  yet  been  received 
from  Astoria ;  the  despatches  having  been  delayed  by  the 
misadventure  of  Mr.  Reed  at  the  falls  of  the  Columbia, 
and  the  unhorsing  of  Mr.  Stuart,  by  the  Crows  among  the 
mountains.  A  painful  uncertainty,  also,  prevailed  about  Mr. 
Hunt  and  his  party.  Nothing  had  been  heard  of  them  since 
their  departure  from  the  Arickara  village ;  Lisa,  who  parted 
from  them  there,  had  predicted  their  destruction ;  and  some 
of  the  traders  of  the  North-west  Company,  had  actually  spread 
a  rumor  of  their  having  been  cut  off  by  the  Indians. 

It  was  a  hard  trial  of  the  courage  and  means  of  an  indi 
vidual,  to  have  to  fit  out  another  costly  expedition,  where  so 
much  had  already  been  expended,  so  much  uncertainty  pre 
vailed,  and  where  the  risk  of  loss  was  so  greatly  enhanced, 
that  no  insurance  could  be  effected. 

In  spite  of  all  these  discouragements,  Mr.  Astor  determined 
to  send  another  ship  to  the  relief  of  the  settlement.  He 
selected  for  this  purpose,  a  vessel  called  the  Lark,  remarkable 
for  her  fast  sailing.  The  disordered  state  of  the  times,  how 
ever,  caused  such  delay,  that  February  arrived,  while  the  ves 
sel  was  yet  lingering  in  port. 

At  this  juncture,  Mr.  Astor  learnt  that  the  North-west 
Company  were  preparing  to  send  out  an  armed  ship  of  twenty 
guns,  called  the  Isaac  Todd,  to  form  an  establishment  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia.  These  tidings  gave  him  great  uneasi 
ness.  A  considerable  proportion  of  the  persons  in  his  employ 
were  Scotchmen  and  Canadians,  and  several  of  them  had 
been  in  the  service  of  the  North-west  Company.  Should 
Mr.  Hunt  have  failed  to  arrive  at  Astoria,  the  whole  establish 
ment  would  be  under  the  control  of  Mr.  M'Dongal,  of  whose 
fidelity  he  had  received  very  disparaging  accounts  from  Cap 
tain  Thorn.  The  British  government,  also,  might  deem  it 


188  SAILING    OF   THE    LARK. 

worth  while  to  send  a  force  against  the  establishment,  having 
been  urged  to  do  so  some  time  previously,  by  the  North-west 
Company. 

Under  all  these  circumstances,  Mr.  Astor  wrote  to  Mr. 
Monroe,  then  secretary  of  state,  requesting  protection  from 
the  government  of  the  United  States.  He  represented  the 
importance  of  his  settlement,  in  a  commercial  point  of  view, 
and  the  shelter  it  might  afford  to  the  American  vessels  in  those 
seas.  All  he  asked  was,  that  the  American  government  would 
throw  forty  or  fifty  men  into  the  fort  at  his  establishment, 
which  would  be  sufficient  for  its  defence,  until  he  could  send 
reinforcements  over  land. 

He  waited  in  vain  for  a  reply  to  this  letter,  the  government, 
no  doubt,  being  engrossed  at  the  time,  by  an  overwhelming 
crowd  of  affairs.  The  month  of  March  arrived,  and  the  Lark 
was  ordered  by  Mr.  Astor,  to  put  to  sea.  The  officer  who 
was  to  command  her,  shrunk  from  his  engagement,  and  in  the 
exigency  of  the  moment,  she  was  given  in  charge  to  Mr. 
Northrop,  the  mate.  Mr.  Nicholas  G.  Ogden,  a  gentleman  on 
whose  talents  and  integrity  the  highest  reliance  could  be 
placed,  sailed  as  supercargo.  The  Lark  put  to  sea  in  the 
beginning  of  March,  1813. 

By  this  opportunity,  Mr.  Astor  wrote  to  Mr.  Hunt,  as  head 
of  the  establishment  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  for  he 
would  not  allow  himself  to  doubt  of  his  welfare.  "  I  always 
think  you  are  well,"  said  he,  "  and  that  I  shall  see  you  again, 
which  heaven,  I  hope,  will  grant." 

He  warned  him  to  be  on  his  guard  against  any  attempts  to 
surprise  the  post ;  suggesting  the  probability  of  armed  hostility 
on  the  part  of  the  North-west  Company,  and  expressing  his 
indignation  at  the  ungrateful  returns  made  by  that  association 
for  his  frank  and  open  conduct,  and  advantageous  overtures. 


GLOOMY  DOUBTS A  RAY  OF  HOPE.         189 

"  Were  I  on  the  spot,"  said  he,  "  and  had  the  management 
of  affairs,  I  would  defy  them  all ;  but  as  it  is,  every  thing 
depends  upon  you  and  your  friends  about  you.  Our  enterprise 
is  grand,  and  deserves  success,  and  I  hope  in  God  it  will  meet 
it.  If  my  object  was  merely  gain  of  money,  I  should  say, 
think  whether  it  is  best  to  save  what  we  can,  and  abandon 
the  place ;  but  the  very  idea  is  like  a  dagger  to  my  heart." 
This  extract  is  sufficient  to  show  the  spirit  and  the  views 
which  actuated  Mr.  Astor  in  this  great  undertaking. 

Week  after  week,  and  month  after  month  elapsed,  without 
any  thing  to  dispel  the  painful  incertitude  that  hung  over  every 
part  of  this  enterprize.  Though  a  man  of  resolute  spirit,  and 
not  easily  cast  down,  the  dangers  impending  over  this  darling 
scheme  of  his  ambition,  had  a  gradual  effect  upon  the  spirits 
of  Mr.  Astor.  He  was  sitting  one  gloomy  evening  by  his 
window  revolving  over  the  loss  of  the  Tonquin,  and  the  fate 
of  her  unfortunate  crew,  and  fearing  that  some  equally  tragical 
calamity  might  have  befallen  the  adventurers  across  the  moun 
tains,  when  the  evening  newspaper  was  brought  to  him.  The 

X 

first  paragraph  that  caught  his  eye,  announced  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Stuart  and  his  party  at  St.  Louis,  with  intelligence 
that  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  companions  had  effected  their  perilous 
expedition  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  This  was  a  gleam 
of  sunshine  that  for  a  time  dispelled  every  cloud,  and  he  now 
looked  forward  with  sanguine  hope  to  the  accomplishment 
of  all  his  plans. 


190  THE    WALLAH-WALLAH. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

BANKS  OF  THE  WALLAH- WALLAH — DEPARTURE  OP  DAVID  STUART  FOR  THE 
OAKINAGAN — MR.  CLARKE'S  ROUTE  up  LEWIS  RIVER — CHIPUNNISH,  OR 

PlERCED-NOSE  INDIANS THEIR  CHARACTER,  APPEARANCE,  AND  HABITS 

THIEVISH  HABITS LAYING  UP  OF  THE  BOATS POST  AT  POINTED  HEART 

AND  SPOKAN  RIVERS — M'KENZIE,  HIS  ROUTE  UP  THE  CAMOENUM — BANDS 
OF  TRAVELLING  INDIANS EXPEDITION  OF  K.EED  TO  THE  CACHES ADVEN 
TURES  OF  WANDERING  VOYAGEUR8  AND  TRAPPERS. 

THE  course  of  our  narrative  now  takes  us  back  to  the  regions 
beyond  the  mountains,  to  dispose  of  the  parties  that  set  out 
from  Astoria,  in  company  with  Mr.  Robert  Stuart,  and  whom 
he  left  on  the  banks  of  the  Wallah- Wallah.  Those  parties, 
likewise  separated  from  each  other  shortly  after  his  departure, 
proceeding  to  their  respective  destinations,  but  agreeing  to 
meet  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wallah-Wallah,  about  the  beginning 
of  June  in  the  following  year,  with  such  peltries  as  they  should 
have  collected  in  the  interior,  so  as  to  convoy  each  other 
through  the  dangerous  passes  of  the  Columbia. 

Mr.  David  Stuart,  one  of  the  parties,  proceeded  with  his 
men  to  the  post  already  established  by  him  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Oakinagan  ;  having  furnished  this  with  goods  and  ammunition, 
he  proceeded  three  hundred  miles  up  that  river,  where  he 
established  another  post  in  a  good  trading  neighborhood. 

Mr.  Clarke,  another  partner,  conducted  his  little  band  up 
Lewis  river  to  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream  coming  in  from  the 


PIERCED-NOSE    INDIANS.  191 

north,  to  which  the  Canadians  gave  the  name  of  the  Pavion. 
Here  he  found  a  village  or  encampment  of  forty  huts  or  tents, 
covered  with  mats,  and  inhabited  by  Nez  percea,  or  Pierced- 
nose  Indians,  as  they  are  called  by  the  traders ;  but  Chipun- 
nish,  as  they  are  called  by  themselves.  They  are  a  hardy, 
laborious,  and  somewhat  knavish  race,  who  lead  a  precarious 
life,  fishing,  and  digging  roots  during  the  summer  and  autumn, 
hunting  the  deer  on  snow  shoes  during  the  winter,  and  tra 
versing  the  Rocky  mountains  in  the  spring,  to  trade  for  buffalo 
skins  with  the  hunting  tribes  of  the  Missouri.  In  these  migra 
tions  they  are  liable  to  be  waylaid  and  attacked  by  the  Black- 
feet,  and  other  warlike  and  predatory  tribes,  and  driven  back 
across  the  mountains  with  the  loss  of  their  horses,  and  of  many 
of  their  comrades. 

A  life  of  this  unsettled  and  precarious  kind  is  apt  to  render 
men  selfish,  and  such  Mr.  Clarke  found  the  inhabitants  of  this 
village,  who  were  deficient  in  the  usual  hospitality  of  Indians  ; 
parting  with  every  thing  with  extreme  reluctance,  and  showing 
no  sensibility  to  any ,  act  of  kindness.  At  the  time  of  his 
arrival,  they  were  all  occupied  in  catching  and  curing  salmon. 
The  men  were  stout,  robust,  active,  and  good  looking,  and  the 
women  handsomer  than  those  of  the  tribes  nearer  to  the  coast. 

It  was  the  plan  of  Mr.  Clarke  to  lay  up  his  boats  here,  and 
proceed  by  land  to  his  place  of  destination,  which  was  among 
the  Spokan  tribe  of  Indians,  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
distant.  He  accordingly  endeavored  to  purchase  horses  for 
the  journey,  but  in  this  he  had  to  contend  with  the  sordid  dis 
position  of  these  people.  They  asked  high  prices  for  their 
horses,  and  were  so  difficult  to  deal  with,  that  Mr.  Clarke  was 
detained  seven  days  among  them,  before  he  could  procure 
a  sufficient  number.  During  that  time  he  was  annoyed  by 
repeated  pilferings,  for  which  he  could  get  no  redress.  The 


192  CLARKE'S  POST. 

chief  promised  to  recover  the  stolen  articles  ;  but  failed  to  do 
so,  alleging  that  the  thieves  belonged  to  a  distant  tribe,  and 
had  made  off  with  their  booty.  With  this  excuse  Mr.  Clarke 
was  fain  to  content  himself,  though  he  laid  up  in  his  heart  a 
bitter  grudge  against  the  whole  pierced-nose  race,  which  it 
will  be  found  he  took  occasion  subsequently  to  gratify  in  a 
signal  manner. 

Having  made  arrangements  for  his  departure,  Mr.  Clarke 
laid  up  his  barge  and  canoes  in  a  sheltered  place,  on  the  banks 
of  a  small  bay,  overgrown  with  shrubs  and  willows,  confiding 
them  to  the  care  of  the  Nezperce  chief,  who  on  being  pro 
mised  an  ample  compensation,  engaged  to  have  a  guardian 
eye  upon  them ;  then  mounting  his  steed,  and  putting  himself 
at  the  head  of  his  little  caravan,  he  shook  the  dust  off  of  his 
feet  as  he  turned  his  back  upon  this  village  of  rogues  and  hard 
dealers.  We  shall  not  follow  him  minutely  in  his  journey ; 
which  lay  at  times  over  steep  and  rocky  hills,  and  among  crags 
and  precipices ;  at  other  times  over  vast  naked  and  sunburnt 
plains,  abounding  with  rattlesnakes,  in  traversing  which,  both 
men  and  horses  suffered  intolerably  from  heat  and  thirst.  The 
place  on  which  he  fixed  for  a  trading  post  was  a  fine  point  of 
land  at  the  junction  of  the  Pointed  Heart  and  Spokan  rivers. 
His  establishment  was  intended  to  compete  with  a  trading  post 
of  the  North-west  Company,  situated  at  no  great  distance,  and 
to  rival  it  in  the  trade  with  the  Spokan  Indians ;  as  well  as 
with  the  Cootonais  and  Flatheads.  In  this  neighborhood  we 
shall  leave  him  for  the  present. 

Mr.  M'Kenzie,  who  conducted  the  third  party  from  the 
Wallah- Wallah,  navigated  for  several  days  up  the  south  branch 
of  the  Columbia,  named  the  Camoenum  by  the  natives,  but 
commonly  called  Lewis  river,  in  honor  of  the  first  explorer. 
Wandering  bands  of  various  tribes  were  seen  along  this  river, 


EXPEDITION  OF  REED  TO  THE  CACHES.      193 

travelling  in  various  directions  ;  for  the  Indians  generally  are 
restless  roving  beings,  continually  intent  on  enterprises  of  war, 
traffic,  and  hunting.  Some  of  these  people  were  driving  large 
gangs  of  horses,  as  if  to  a  distant  market.  Having  arrived  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Shahaptan,  he  ascended  some  distance  up 
that  river,  and  established  his  trading  post  upon  its  banks. 
This  appeared  to  be  a  great  thoroughfare  for  the  tribes  from 
the  neighborhood  of  the  falls  of  the  Columbia,  in  their  expedi 
tions  to  make  war  upon  the  tribes  of  the  Rocky  mountains  ;  to 
hunt  buffalo  on  the  plains  beyond,  or  to  traffic  for  roots  and 
buffalo  robes.  It  was  the  season  of  migration,  and  the  Indians 
from  various  distant  parts  were  passing  and  repassing  in  great 
numbers. 

Mr.  M'Kenzie  now  detached  a  small  band,  under  the  con 
duct  of  Mr.  John  Reed,  to  visit  the  caches  made  by  Mr.  Hunt 
at  the  Caldron  Linn,  and  to  bring  the  contents  to  his  post ;  as 
he  depended,  in  some  measure,  on  them  for  his  supplies  of 
goods  and  ammunition.  They  had  not  been  gone  a  week, 
when  two  Indians  arrived  of  the  Pallatapalla  tribe,  who  Jive 
upon  a  river  of  the  same  name.  These  communicated  the  un 
welcome  intelligence  that  the  caches  had  been  robbed.  They 
said  that  some  of  their  tribe  had,  in  the  course  of  the  preceding 
spring,  been  across  the  mountains,  which  separated  them  from 
Snake  river,  and  had  traded  horses  with  the  Snakes  in  ex 
change  for  blankets,  robes,  and  goods  of  various  descriptions. 
These  articles  the  Snakes  had  procured  from  caches  to  which 
they  were  guided  by  some  white  men  who  resided  among 
them,  and  who  afterwards  accompanied  them  across  the  Rocky 
mountains.  This  intelligence  was  extremely  perplexing  to 
Mr.  M'Kenzie,  but  the  truth  of  part  of  it  was  confirmed  by  the 
two  Indians,  who  brought  them  an  English  saddle  and  bridle, 
which  was  recognised  as  having  belonged  to  Mr.  Crooks. 

VOL.  II.  17 


194  CANADIAN    STRAGGLERS. 

The  perfidy  of  the  white  men  who  revealed  the  secret  of  the 
caches,  was,  however,  perfectly  inexplicable.  We  shall  pre 
sently  account  for  it,  in  narrating  the  expedition  of  Mr.  Reed. 

That  worthy  Hibernian  proceeded  on  his  mission  with  his 
usual  alacrity.  His  forlorn  travels  of  the  preceding  winter 
had  made  him  acquainted  with  the  topography  of  the  country, 
and  he  reached  Snake  river  without  any  material  difficulty. 
Here,  in  an  encampment  of  the  natives,  he  met  with  six  white 
men,  wanderers  from  the  main  expedition  of  Mr.  Hunt,  who, 
after  having  had  their  respective  shares  of  adventures  and 
mishaps,  had  fortunately  come  together  at  this  place.  Three 
of  these  men  were  Turcotte,  La  Chapelle,  and  Francis  Lan- 
dry ;  the  three  Canadian  voyageurs  who,  it  may  be  recollected, 
had  left  Mr.  Crooks  in  February,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Snake 
river,  being  dismayed  by  the  increasing  hardships  of  the  jour 
ney,  and  fearful  of  perishing  of  hunger.  They  had  returned 
to  a  Snake  encampment,  where  they  passed  the  residue  of  the 
winter. 

Early  in  the  spring,  being  utterly  destitute,  and  in  great 
extremity,  and  having  worn  out  the  hospitality  of  the  Snakes, 
they  determined  to  avail  themselves  of  the  buried  treasures 
within  their  knowledge.  They  accordingly  informed  the 
Snake  chieftains  that  they  knew  where  a  great  quantity  of 
goods  had  been  left  in  cache,  enough  to  enrich  the  whole 
tribe ;  and  offered  to  conduct  them  to  the  place,  on  condition 
of  being  rewarded  with  horses  and  provisions.  The  chieftains 
pledged  their  faith  and  honor  as  great  men  and  Snakes,  and 
the  three  Canadians  conducted  them  to  the  place  of  deposit 
at  the  Caldron  Linn.  This  is  the  way  that  the  savages  got 
knowledge  of  the  caches,  and  not  by  following  the  tracks  of 
wolves,  as  Mr.  Stuart  had  supposed.  Never  did  money  dig 
gers  turn  up  a  miser's  hoard  with  more  eager  delight,  than  did 


,       BEGGARS    ON    HORSEBACK.  195 

the  savages  lay  open  the  treasures  of  the  caches.  Blankets 
and  robes ;  brass  trinkets  and  blue  beads  were  drawn  forth 
with  chuckling  exultation,  and  long  strips  of  scarlet  cloth, 
produced  yells  of  exstacy. 

The  rifling  of  the  caches  effected  a  change  in  the  fortunes 
and  deportment  of  the  whole  party.  The  Snakes  were  better 
clad  and  equipped  than  ever  were  Snakes  before,  and  the 
three  Canadians,  suddenly  finding  themselves  with  horse  to 
ride  and  weapon  to  wear,  were,  like  beggars  on  horseback, 
ready  to  ride  on  any  wild  scamper.  An  opportunity  soon  pre 
sented.  The  Snakes  determined  on  a  hunting  match  on  the 
buffalo  prairies,  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  beef,  that  they  might  live 
in  plenty,  as  became  men  of  their  improved  condition.  The 
three  newly  mounted  cavaliers  must  fain  accompany  them. 
They  all  traversed'  the  Rocky  mountains  in  safety,  descended 
to  the  head  waters  of  the  Missouri,  and  made  great  havoc 
among  the  buffaloes. 

Their  hunting  camp  was  full  of  meat ;  they  were  gorging 
themselves,  like  'true  Indians,  with  present  plenty,  and  drying 
and  jerking  great  quantities  for  a  winter's  supply.  In  the 
midst  of  their  revelry  and  good  cheer,  the  camp  was  surprised 
by  the  Blackfeet.  Several  of  the  Snakes  were  slain  on  the 
spot ;  the  residue,  with  their  three  Canadian  allies,  fled  to  the 
mountains,  stripped  of  horses,  buffalo  meat,  every  thing  ;  and 
made  their  way  back  to  the  old  encampment  on  Snake  river, 
poorer  than  ever,  but  esteeming  themselves  fortunate  in  having 
escaped  with  their  lives.  They  had  not  been  long  there  when 
the  Canadians  were  cheered  by  the  sight  of  a  companion  in 
misfortune,  Dubreuil,  the  poor  voyageur  who  had  left  Mr. 
Crooks  in  March,  being  too  much  exhausted  to  keep  on  with 
him.  Not  long  afterwards,  three  other  straggling  members  of 
the  main  expedition  made  their  appearance.  These  were 


196  If  ORE    STRAGGLERS. 

Carson,  St.  Michael,  and  Pierre  Delaunay,  three  of  the  trappers 
who,  in  company  with  Pierre  Detaye",  had  been  left  among 
the  mountains  by  Mr.  Hunt,  to  trap  beaver,  in  the  preceding 
month  of  September.  They  had  departed  from  the  main  body 
well  armed  and  provided,  with  horses  to  ride,  and  horses  to 
carry  the  peltries  they  were  to  collect.  They  came  wandering 
into  the  Snake  camp  as  ragged  and  destitute  as  their  prede 
cessors.  It  appears  that  they  had  finished  their  trapping,  and 
were  making  their  way  in  the  spring  to  the  Missouri,  when 
they  were  met  and  attacked  by  a  powerful  band  of  the  all- 
pervading  Crows.  They  made  a  desperate  resistance,  and 
killed  seven  of  the  savages,  but  were  overpowered  by  numbers. 
Pierre  Detaye*  was  slain,  the  rest  were  robbed  of  horses  and 
effects,  and  obliged  to  turn  back,  when  they  fell  in  with  their 
old  companions,  as  already  mentioned. 

We  should  observe,  that  at  the  heels  of  Pierre  Delaunay 
came  draggling  an  Indian  wife,  whom  he  had  picked  up  in 
his  wanderings  ;  having  grown  weary  of  celibacy  among  the 
savages. 

The  whole  seven  of  this  forlorn  fraternity  of  adventurers, 
thus  accidentally  congregated  on  the  banks  of  Snake  river, 
were  making  arrangements  once  more  to  cross  the  mountains, 
when  some  Indian  scouts  brought  word  of  the  approach  of  the 
little  band  headed  by  John  Reed. 

The  latter,  having  heard  the  several  stories  of  these  wan 
derers,  took  them  all  into  his  party,  and  set  out  for  the  Cal 
dron  Linn,  to  clear  out  two  or  three  of  the  caches  which  had 
not  been  revealed  to  the  Indians. 

At  that  place  he  met  with  Robinson,  the  Kentucky  veteran, 
who,  with  his  two  comrades,  Rezner  and  Hoback,  had  remain 
ed  there  when  Mr.  Stuart  went  on.  This  adventurous  trio  had 
been  trapping  higher  up  the  river,  but  Robinson  had  come 


MYSTERIOUS    FATE    OF    CASS.  197 

down  in  a  canoe,  to  await  the  expected  arrival  of  the  party, 
and  obtain  horses  and  equipments.  He  told  Reed  the  story  of 
the  robbery  of  his  party  by  the  Arapahays,  but  it  differed,  in 
some  particulars,  from  the  account  given  by  him  to  Mr.  Stuart. 
In  that,  he  had  represented  Cass  as  having  shamefully  deserted 
his  companions  in  their  extremity,  carrying  off  with  him  a 
horse  :  in  the  one  now  given,  he  spoke  of  him  as  having  been 
killed  in  the  affray  with  the  Arapahays.  This  discrepancy,  of 
which,  of  course,  Reed  could  have  had  no  knowledge  at  the 
time,  concurred  with  other  circumstances,  to  occasion  after 
wards  some  mysterious  speculations  and  dark  surmises,  as  to 
the  real  fate  of  Cass ;  but  as  no  substantial  grounds  were  ever 
adduced  for  them,  we  forbear  to  throw  any  deeper  shades  into 
this  story  of  sufferings  in  the  wilderness. 

Mr.  Reed  having  gathered  the  remainder  of  the  goods  from 
the  caches,  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  party,  now  augment 
ed  by  the  seven  men  thus  casually  picked  up,  and  the  squaw 
of  Pierre  Delaunay,  and  made  his  way  successfully  to  M'Ken- 
zie's  post,  on  the  waters  of  the  Shahaptan. 


17* 


198  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  BEAVER. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

DEPARTURE  OF  MR.  HUNT  IN  THE  BEAVER — PRECAUTIONS  AT  THE  FACTORY 

DETACHMENT  TO  THE  WoLLAMUT GLOOMY  APPREHENSIONS ARRIVAL 

OF  M'KENZIE — AFFAIRS  AT  THE   SHAHAPTAN — NEWS  or  WAR — DISMAY 

OF  M'DOUOAL DETERMINATION  TO  ABANDON  ASTORIA DEPARTURE  OF 

M'KENZIE  FOR  THE  INTERIOR— ADVENTURE  AT  THE  RAPIDS — VISIT  TO  THE 

RUFFIANS  OF  WlSH-RAM A  PERILOUS  SITUATION MEETING  WITH  M'TA- 

VISH  AND  HIS  PARTY ARRIVAL  AT  THE  SHAHAPTAN PLUNDERED  CACHES 

DETERMINATION  OF  THE  WINTERING  PARTNERS   NOT  TO  LEAVE   THE 

COUNTRY ARRIVAL  OF  CLARKE  AMONG  THE   NEZPERCfi's THE  AFFAIR 

OF   THE   SILVER   GOBLET HANGING    OF    AN   INDIAN ARRIVAL  OF  THE 

WINTERING  PARTNERS  AT  ASTORIA. 

AFTER  the  departure  of  the  different  detachments,  or  brigades, 
as  they  are  called  by  the  fur  traders,  the  Beaver  prepared  for 
her  voyage  along  the  coast,  and  her  visit  to  the  Russian  estab 
lishment,  at  New  Archangel,  where  she  was  to  cany  supplies. 
It  had  been  determined  in  the  council  of  partners  at  Astoria, 
that  Mr.  Hunt  should  embark  in  this  vessel,  for  the  purpose 
of  acquainting  himself  with  the  coasting  trade,  and  of  making 
arrangements  with  the  commander  of  the  Russian  post,  and 
that  he  should  be  relanded  in  October,  at  Astoria,  by  the 
Beaver,  on  her  way  to  the  Sandwich  islands,  and  Canton. 

The  Beaver  put  to  sea  in  the  month  of  August.  Her  de 
parture,  and  that  of  the  various  brigades,  left  the  little  fortress 
of  Astoria  but  slightly  garrisoned.  This  was  soon  perceived 


PRECAUTIONS  AT  THE  FACTORY.         199 

by  some  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  the  consequence  was,  in 
creased  insolence  of  deportment,  and  a  disposition  to  hostility. 
It  was  now  the  fishing  season,  when  the  tribes  from  the 
northern  coast  drew  into  the  neighborhood  of  the  Columbia. 
These  were  warlike  and  perfidious,  in  their  dispositions  ;  and 
noted  for  their  attempts  to  surprize  trading  ships.  Among 
them  were  numbers  of  the  Neweetees,  the  ferocious  tribe  that 
massacred  the  crew  of  the  Tonquin. 

Great  precautions,  therefore,  were  taken  at  the  factory,  to 
guard  against  surprise  while  these  dangerous  intruders  were 
in  the  vicinity.  Galleries  were  constructed  inside  of  the 
palisades ;  the  bastions  were  heightened,  and  sentinels  were 
posted  day  and  night.  Fortunately,  the  Chinooks  and  other 
tribes  resident  in  the  vicinity  manifested  the  most  pacific 
disposition.  Old  Comcomly,  who  held  sway  over  them,  was 
a  shrewd  calculator.  He  was  aware  of  the  advantages  of 
having  the  whites  as  neighbors,  and  allies,  and  of  the  conse 
quence  derived  to  himself  and  his  people  from  acting  as  inter 
mediate  traders  between  them  and  the  distant  tribes.  He 
had,  therefore,  by  this  time,  become  a  firm  friend  of  the  Asto- 
rians,  and  formed  a  kind  of  barrier  between  them  and  the 
hostile  intruders  from  the  north. 

The  summer  of  1812  passed  away  without  any  of  the  hos 
tilities  that  had  been  apprehended ;  the  Neweetees,  and  other 
dangerous  visitors  to  the  neighborhood,  finished  their  fishing 
and  returned  home,  and  the  inmates  of  the  factory  once  more 
felt  secure  from  attack. 

It  now  became  necessary  to  guard  against  other  evils. 
The  season  of  scarcity  arrived,  which  commences  in  October, 
and  lasts  until  the  end  of  January.  To  provide  for  the  support 
of  the  garrison,  the  shallop  was  employed  to  forage  about  the 
shoress  of  the  river.  A  number  of  the  men,  also,  under  the 


200  GLOOMY   APPREHENSIONS. 

command  of  some  of  the  clerks,  were  sent  to  quarter  them 
selves  on  the  banks  of  the  Wollamut,  (the  Multnomah  of 
Lewis  and  Clark),  a  fine  river  which  disembogues  itself  into 
the  Columbia,  about  sixty  miles  above  Astoria.  The  country 
bordering  on  the  river  is  finely  diversified  with  prairies  and 
hills,  and  forests  of  oak,  ash,  maple  and  cedar.  It  abounded 
at  that  time,  with  elk  and  deer,  and  the  streams  were  well 
stocked  with  beaver.  Here  the  party,  after  supplying  their 
own  wants,  were  enabled  to  pack  up  quantities  of  dried  meat, 
and  send  it  by  canoes,  to  Astoria. 

The  month  of  October  elapsed  without  the  return  of  the 
Beaver.  November,  December,  January,  passed  away,  and 
still  nothing  was  seen  or  heard  of  her.  Gloomy  apprehen 
sions  now  began  to  be  entertained :  she  might  have  been 
wrecked  in  the  course  of  her  coasting  voyage,  or  surprised, 
like  the  Tonquin,  by  some  of  the  treacherous  tribes  of  the 
north. 

No  one  indulged  more  in  these  apprehensions  that  M'Dou- 
gal,  who  had  now  the  charge  of  the  establishment.  He  no 
longer  evinced  the  bustling  confidence  and  buoyancy  which 
once  characterized  him.  Command  seemed  to  have  lost  its 
charms  for  him ;  or  rather,  he  gave  way  to  the  most  abject 
despondency,  decrying  the  whole  enterprize,  magnifying  every 
untoward  circumstance,  and  foreboding  nothing  but  evil. 

While  in  this  moody  state,  he  was  surprised,  on  the  16th 
of  January,  by  the  sudden  appearance  of  M'Kenzie,  way-worn 
and  weather-beaten  by  a  long  wintry  journey  from  his  post  on 
the  Shahaptan,  and  with  a  face  the  very  frontispiece  for  a 
volume  of  misfortune.  M'Kenzie  had  been  heartily  disgusted 
and  disappointed  at  his  post.  It  was  in  the  midst  of  the 
Tushepaws,  a  powerful  and  warlike  nation,  divided  into  many 
tribes,  under  different  chiefs,  who  posessed  innumerable  horses, 


NEWS    OF    WAR.  201 

but,  not  having  turned  their  attention  to  beaver  trapping,  had 
no  furs  to  offer.  According  to  M'Kenzie,  they  were  but  a 
"  rascally  tribe ;"  from  which  we  may  infer  that  they  were 
prone  to  consult  their  own  interests,  more  than  comported  with 
the  interests  of  a  greedy  Indian  trader. 

Game  being  scarce,  he  was  obliged  to  rely  for  the  most 
part,  on  horse  flesh  for  subsistence,  and  the  Indians  discover 
ing  his  necessities,  adopted  a  policy  usual  in  civilized  trade, 
and  raised  the  price  of  horses  to  an  exorbitant  rate,  knowing 
that  he  and  his  men  must  eat  or  die.  In  this  way,  the  goods 
he  had  brought  to  trade  for  beaver  skins,  were  likely  to  be 
bartered  for  horse  flesh,  and  all  the  proceeds  devoured  upon 
the  spot. 

He  had  despatched  trappers  in  various  directions,  but  the 
country  around  did  not  offer  more  beaver  than  his  own  station. 
In  this  emergency  he  began  to  think  of  abandoning  his  un 
profitable  post,  sending  his  goods  to  the  posts  of  Clarke  and 
David  Stuart,  who  could  make  a  better  use  of  them,  as  they 
were  in  a  good  beaver  country,  and  returning  with  his  party 
to  Astoria,  to  seek  some  better  destination.  With  this  view 
he  repaired  to  the  post  of  Mr.  Clarke,  to  hold  a  consultation. 
While  the  two  partners  were  in  conference  in  Mr.  Clarke's 
wigwam,  an  unexpected  visiter  came  bustling  in  upon  them. 

This  was  Mr.  John  George  M'Tavish,  a  partner  of  the 
North-west  Company  who  had  charge  of  the  rival  trading 
posts  established  in  that  neighborhood.  Mr.  M'Tavish  was 
the  delighted  messenger  of  bad  news.  He  had  been  to  lake 
Winnipeg,  where  he  received  an  express  from  Canada,  con 
taining  the  declaration  of  war,  and  President  Madison's  procla 
mation,  which  he  handed  with  the  most  officious  complaisance 
to  Messrs  Clarke  and  M'Kenzie.  He  moreover  told  them,  that 
he  had  received  a  fresh  supply  of  goods  from  the  north-west 


202  A   RASH    RESOLUTION. 

posts  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  was 
prepared  for  vigorous  opposition  to  the  establishments  of  the 
American  company.  He  capped  the  climax  of  this  obliging, 
but  belligerent  intelligence,  by  informing  them  that  the  armed 
ship,  Isaac  Todd,  was  to  be  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
about  the  beginning  of  March,  to  get  possession  of  the  trade 
of  the  river,  and  that  he  was  ordered  to  join  her  there  at 
that  time. 

The  receipt  of  this  news  determined  M'Kenzie.  He  im 
mediately  returned  to  the  Shahaptan,  broke  up  his  establish 
ment,  deposited  his  goods  in  cache,  and  hastened,  with  all  his 
people,  to  Astoria. 

The  intelligence  thus  brought,  completed  the  dismay  of 
M'Dougal,  and  seemed  to  produce  a  complete  confusion  of 
mind.  He  held  council  of  war  with  M'Kenzie,  at  which 
some  of  the  clerks  were  present,  but  of  course  had  no  votes. 
They  gave  up  all  hope  of  maintaining  their  post  at  Astoria. 
The  Beaver  had  probably  been  lost ;  they  could  receive  no  aid 
from  the  United  States,  as  all  the  ports  would  be  blockaded. 
From  England  nothing  could  be  expected  but  hostility.  It 
was  determined,  therefore,  to  abandon  the  establishment  in  the 
course  of  the  following  spring,  and  return  across  the  Rocky 
mountains. 

In  pursuance  of  the  resolution,  they  suspended  all  trade 
with  the  natives,  except  for  provisions,  having  already  more 
peltries  than  they  could  carry  away,  and  having  need  of  all 
the  goods  for  the  clothing  and  subsistence  of  their  people, 
during  the  remainder  of  their  sojourn,  and  on  their  journey 
across  the  mountains.  This  intention  of  abandoning  Astoria 
was,  however,  kept  secret  from  the  men,  lest  they  should  at 
once  give  up  all  labor,  and  become  restless  and  insubordinate. 

In  the  mean  time,  M'Kenzie  set  off  for  his  post  at  the  Sha- 


A   VISIT    TO    WISH-RAM.  203 

haptan,  to  get  his  goods  from  the  caches,  and  buy  horses  and 
provisions  with  them  for  the  caravan,  across  the  mountains. 
He  was  charged  with  despatches  from  M'Dougal  to  Messrs. 
Stuart  and  Clarke,  apprising  them  of  the  intended  migration, 
that  they  might  make  timely  preparations. 

M'Kenzie  was  accompanied  by  two  of  the  clerks,  Mr.  John 
Reed,  the  Irishman,  and  Mr.  Alfred  Seton  of  New  York. 
They  embarked  in  two  canoes,  manned  by  seventeen  men, 
and  ascended  the  river  without  any  incident  of  importance, 
until  they  arrived  in  the  eventful  neighborhood  of  the  rapids. 
They  made  the  portage  of  the  narrows  and  the  falls  early 
in  the  afternoon,  and,  having  partaken  of  a  scanty  meal,  had 
now  a  long  evening  on  the  their  hands. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  lay  the  village  of  Wish- 
ram,  of  freebooting  renown.  Here  lived  the  savages  who  had 
robbed  and  maltreated  Reed,  when  bearing  his  tin  box  of 
despatches.  It  was  known  that  the  rifle  of  which  he  was 
despoiled,  was  retained  as  a  trophy  at  the  village.  M'Kenzie 
offered  to  cross  the  river,  and  demand  the  rifle,  if  any  one 
would  accompany  him.  It  was  a  hair-brained  project,  for 
these  villages  were  noted  for  the  ruffian  character  of  their 
inhabitants  ;  yet  two  volunteers  promptly  stepped  forward ; 
Alfred  Seton,  the  clerk,  and  Joe  de  la  Pierre,  the  cook.  The 
trio  soon  reached  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  On  landing, 
they  freshly  primed  their  rifles  and  pistols.  A  path  winding 
for  about  a  hundred  yards  among  rocks  and  crags,  led  to  the 
village.  No  notice  seemed  to  be  taken  of  their  approach. 
Not  a  solitary  being,  man  woman  or  child,  greeted  them.  The 
very  dogs,  those  noisy  pests  of  an  Indian  town,  kept  silence. 
On  entering  the  village,  a  boy  made  his  appearance,  and 
pointed  to  a  house  of  larger  dimensions  than  ,the  rest.  They 
had  to  stoop  to  enter  it ;  as  soon  as  they  had  passed  the 


204  A    DEN    OF   RUFFIANS. 

threshold,  the  narrow  passage  behind  them  was  filled  up 
by  a  sudden  rush  of  Indians,  who  had  before  kept  out  of 
sight. 

M'Kenzie  and  his  companions  found  themselves  in  a  rude 
chamber  of  about  twenty-five  feet  long,  and  twenty  wide. 
A  bright  fire  was  blazing  at  one  end,  near  which  sat  the  chief, 
about  sixty  years'  old.  A  large  number  of  Indians,  wrapped 
in  buffalo  robes,  were  squatted  in  rows,  three  deep,  forming 
a  semicircle  round  three  sides  of  the  room.  A  single  glance 
around  sufficed  to  show  them  the  grim  and  dangerous  assem 
blage  into  which  they  had  intruded,  and  that  all  retreat  was 
cut  off  by  the  mass  which  blocked  up  the  entrance. 

The  chief  pointed  to  the  vacant  side  of  the  room  opposite 
to  the  door,  and  motioned  for  them  to  take  their  seats.  They 
complied.  A  dead  pause  ensued.  The  grim  warriors  around 
sat  like  statues  ;  each  muffled  in  his  robe  with  his  fierce  eyes 
bent  on  the  intruders.  The  latter  felt  they  were  in  a  perilous 
predicament. 

"  Keep  your  eyes  on  the  chief,  while  I  am  addressing  him," 
said  M'Kenzie  to  his  companions.  "  Should  he  give  any  sign 
to  his  band,  shoot  him,  and  make  for  the  door." 

M'Kenzie  advanced,  and  offered  the  pipe  of  peace  to  the  chief, 
but  it  was  refused.  He  then  made  a  regular  speech,  explain 
ing  the  object  of  their  visit,  and  proposing  to  give  in  exchange 
for  the  rifle,  two  blankets,  an  axe,  some  beads  and  tobacco. 

When  he  had  done,  the  chief  rose,  began  to  address  him  in 
a  low  voice,  but  soon  became  loud  and  violent,  and  ended  by 
working  himself  up  into  a  furious  passion.  He  upbraided  the 
white  men  for  their  sordid  conduct  in  passing  and  repassing 
through  their  neighborhood,  without  giving  them  a  blanket  or 
any  other  article  of  goods,  merely  because  they  had  no  furs  to 
barter  in  exchange ;  and  he  alluded  with  menaces  of  vengeance, 


A    CRITICAL    SITUATION.  205 

to  the  death  of  the  Indian  killed  by  the  whites  in  the  skirmish 
at  the  falls. 

Matters  were  verging  to  a  crisis.  It  was  evident  the  sur 
rounding  savages  were  only  waiting  a  signal  from  the  chief  to 
spring  upon  their  prey.  M'Kenzie  and  his  companions  had 
gradually  risen  on  their  feet  during  the  speech,  and  had 
brought  their  rifles  to  to  a  horizontal  position,  the  barrels 
resting  in  their  left  hands ;  the  muzzle  of  M'Kenzie's  piece 
was  within  three  feet  of  the  speaker's  heart.  They  cocked 
their  rifles  ;  the  click  of  the  locks  for  a  moment  suffused  the 
dark  cheek  of  the  savage,  and  there  was  a  pause.  They 
cooly,  but  promptly,  advanced  to  the  door ;  the  Indians  fell 
back  in  awe,  and  suffered  them  to  pass.  The  sun  was  just 
setting,  as  they  emerged  from  this  dangerous  den.  They  took 
the  precaution  to  keep  along  the  tops  of  the  rocks  as  much 
as  possible  on  their  way  back  to  the  canoe,  and  reached  their 
camp  in  safety,  congratulating  themselves  on  their  escape, 
and  feeling  no  desire  to  make  a  second  visit  to  the  grim 
warriors  of  Wish-ram. 

M'Kenzie  and  his  party  resumed  their  journey  the  next 
morning.  At  some  distance  above  the  falls  of  the  Columbia, 
they  observed  two  bark  canoes,  filled  with  white  men,  coming 
down  the  river,  to  the  full  chant  of  a  set  of  Canadian  voya- 
geurs.  A  parley  ensued.  It  was  a  detachment  of  north 
westers,  under  the  command  of  Mr.  John  George  M'Tavish, 
bound,  full  of  song  and  spirit,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia, 
to  await  the  arrival  of  the  Isaac  Todd. 

M'Kenzie  and  M'Tavish  came  to  a  halt,  and  landing,  en 
camped  together  for  the  night.  The  voyageurs  of  either  party 
hailed  each  other  as  brothers,  and  old  "  comrades,"  and  they 
mingled  together  as  if  united  by  one  common  interest,  instead 

of  belonging  to  rival  companies,  and  trading  under  hostile  flags. 
VOL.  n.  18 


206  THE    RIFLED    CACHES.  , 

i 

In  the  morning  they  proceeded  on  their  different  ways,  in 
style  corresponding  to  their  different  fortunes  :  the  one  toiling 
painfully  against  the  stream,  the  other  sweeping  down  gaily 
with  the  current. 

M'Kenzie  arrived  safely  at  his  deserted  post  on  the  Sha- 
haptan,  but  found,  to  his  chagrin,  that  his  caches  had  been 
discovered  and  rifled  by  the  Indians.  Here  was  a  dilemma, 
for,  on  the  stolen  goods  he  had  depended  to  purchase  horses 
of  the  Indians.  He  sent  out  men  in  all  directions  to  endeavor 
to  discover  the  thieves,  and  despatched  Mr.  Reed  to  the  posts 
of  Messrs.  Clarke  and  David  Stuart,  with  the  letters  of  Mr. 
M'Dougal. 

The  resolution  announced  in  these  letters,  to  break  up  and 
depart  from  Astoria,  was  condemned  by  both  Clarke  and  Stuart. 
These  two  gentlemen  had  been  very  successful  at  their  posts, 
and  considered  it  rash  and  pusilanimous  to  abandon,  on  the 
first  difficulty,  an  enterprise  of  such  great  cost  and  ample  pro 
mise.  They  made  no  arrangements,  therefore,  for  leaving  the 
country,  but  acted  with  a  view  to  the  maintenance  of  their  new 
and  prosperous  establishments. 

The  regular  time  approached,  when  the  partners  of  the  inte 
rior  posts  were  to  rendezvous  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wallah- 
Wallah,  on  their  way  to  Astoria,  with  the  peltries  they  had 
collected.  Mr.  Clarke  accordingly  packed  all  his  furs  on 
twenty-eight  horses,  and,  leaving  a  clerk  and  four  men  to  take 
charge  of  the  post,  departed  on  the  25th  of  May  with  the 
residue  of  his  force. 

On  the  30th,  he  arrived  at  the  confluence  of  the  Pavion  and 
Lewis  rivers,  where  he  had  left  his  barge  and  canoes,  in  the 
guardianship  of  the  old  Pierced-nose  chieftain.  That  dignitary 
had  acquitted  himself  more  faithfully  of  his  charge  than  Mr. 
Clarke  had  expected,  and  the  canoes  were  found  in  very  tole- 


•       THE  AFFAIR  OF  THE  SILVER  GOBLET.       207 

rable  order.  Some  repairs  were  necessary,  and,  while  they 
were  making,  the  party  encamped  close  by  the  village.  Hav 
ing  had  repeated  and  vexatious  proofs  of  the  pilfering  propen 
sities  of  this  tribe  during  his  former  visit,  Mr,  Clarke  ordered 
that  a  wary  eye  should  be  kept  upon  them. 

He  was  a  tall,  good-looking  man,  and  somewhat  given  to 
pomp  and  circumstance,  which  made  him  an  object  of  note  in 
the  eyes  of  the  wondering  savages.  He  was  stately,  too,  in 
his  appointments,  and  had  a  silver  goblet  or  drinking  cup,  out 
of  which  he  would  drink  with  a  magnificent  air,  and  then  lock 
it  up  in  a  large  garde  vin,  which  accompanied  him  in  his 
travels,  and  stood  in  his  tent.  This  goblet  had  originally  been 
sent  as  a  present  from  Mr.  Astor  to  Mr.  M'Kay,  the  partner 
who  had  unfortunately  been  blown  up  in  the  Tonquin.  As  it 
reached  Astoria  after  the  departure  of  that  gentleman,  it  had 
remained  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Clarke. 

A  silver  goblet  was  too  glittering  a  prize  not  to  catch  the 
eye  of  a  Pierced-nose.  It  was  like  the  shining  tin  case  of 
John  Reed.  Such  a  wonder  had  never  been  seen  in  the  land 
before.  The  Indians  talked  about  it  to  one  another.  They 
marked  the  care  with  which  it  was  deposited  in  the  garde  vin, 
like  a  relic  in  its  shrine,  and  concluded  that  it  must  be  a 
"  great  medicine."  That  night  Mr.  Clarke  neglected  to  lock 
up  his  treasure  ;  in  the  morning  the  sacred  casket  was  open — 
the  precious  relic  gone  ! 

Clarke  was  now  outrageous.  All  the  past  vexations  that  he 
had  suffered  from  this  pilfering  community  rose  to  mind,  and 
he  threatened,  that,  unless  the  goblet  were  promptly  returned, 
he  would  hang  the  thief  should  he  eventually  discover  him. 
The  day  passed  away,  however,  without  the  restoration  of  the 
cup.  At  night,  sentinels  were  secretly  posted  about  the  camp. 
With  all  their  vigilance,  a  Pierced-nose  contrived  to  get  into 


208  AN    EXECUTION.  • 

the  camp  unperceived,  and  to  load  himself  with  booty ;  it  was 
only  on  his  retreat  that  he  was  discovered  and  taken. 

At  daybreak,  the  culprit  was  brought  to  trial,  and  promptly 
convicted.  He  stood  responsible  for  all  the  spoliations  of  the 
camp,  the  precious  goblet  among  the  number,  and  Mr.  Clarke 
passed  sentence  of  death  upon  him. 

A  gibbet  was  accordingly  constructed  of  oars  :  the  chief  of 
the  village  and  his  people  were  assembled,  and  the  culprit  was 
produced,  with  his  legs  and  arms  pinioned.  Clarke  then  made 
a  harangue.  He  reminded  the  tribe  of  the  benefits  he  had 
bestowed  upon  them  during  his  former  visit,  and  the  many 
thefts  and  other  misdeeds  which  he  had  overlooked.  The 
prisoner,  especially,  had  always  been  peculiarly  well  treated 
by  the  white  men,  but  had  repeatedly  been  guilty  of  pilfering. 
He  was  to  be  punished  for  his  own  misdeeds,  and  as  a  warning 
to  his  tribe. 

The  Indians  now  gathered  round  Mr.  Clarke,  and  interceded 
for  the  culprit.  They  were  willing  he  should  be  punished 
severely,  but  implored  that  his  life  might  be  spared.  The 
companions,  too,  of  Mr.  Clarke  considered  the  sentence  too 
severe,  and  advised  him  to  mitigate  it ;  but  he  was  inexorable. 
He  was  not  naturally  a  stern  or  cruel  man  ;  but  from  his  boy 
hood  he  had  lived  in  the  Indian  country  among  Indian  traders, 
and  held  the  life  of  a  savage  extremely  cheap.  He  was, 
moreover,  a  firm  believer  in  the  doctrine  of  intimidation. 

Farnham,  a  clerk,  a  tall  "  Green-mountain  boy"  from  Ver 
mont,  who  had  been  robbed  of  a  pistol,  acted  as  executioner. 
The  signal  was  given,  and  the  poor  Pierced-nose,  resisting, 
struggling,  and  screaming,  in  the  most  frightful  manner,  was 
launched  into  eternity.  The  Indians  stood  round  gazing  in 
silence  and  mute  awe,  but  made  no  attempt  to  oppose  the  exe 
cution,  nor  testified  any  emotion  when  it  was  over.  They 


•  IMPOLICY    OF    THE    ACT.  209 

locked  up  their  feelings  within  their  bosoms  until  an  oppor 
tunity  should  arrive  to  gratify  them  with  a  bloody  act  of 
vengeance. 

To  say  nothing  of  the  needless  severity  of  this  act,  its  im 
policy  was  glaringly  obvious.  Mr.  M'Lennan  and  three  men 
were  to  return  to  the  post  with  the  horses,  their  loads  having 
been  transferred  to  the  canoes.  They  would  have  to  pass 
through  a  tract  of  country  infested  by  this  tribe,  who  were  all 
horsemen  and  hard  riders,  and  might  pursue  them  to  take  ven 
geance  for  the  death  of  their  comrade.  M'Lennan,  however, 
was  a  resolute  fellow,  and  made  light  of  all  dangers.  He  and 
his  three  men  were  present  at  the  execution,  and  set  off  as 
soon  as  life  was  extinct  in  the  victim  ;  but,  to  use  the  words 
of  one  of  their  comrades,  "  they  did  not  let  the  grass  grow 
under  the  heels  of  their  horses,  as  they  clattered  out  of  the 
Pierced-nose  country,"  and  were  glad  to  find  themselves  in 
safety  at  the  post. 

Mr.  Clarke  and  his  party  embarked  about  the  same  time  in 
their  canoes,  and  early  on  the  following  day  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  Wallah-Wallah,  where  they  found  Messrs.  Stuart  and 
M'Kenzie  awaiting  them ;  the  latter  having  recovered  part  of 
the  goods  stolen  from  his  cache.  Clarke  informed  them  of 
the  signal  punishment  he  had  inflicted  on  the  Pierced-nose, 
evidently  expecting  to  excite  their  admiration  by  such  a  hardy 
act  of  justice,  performed  in  the  very  midst  of  the  Indian  coun 
try,  but  was  mortified  at  finding  it  strongly  censured  as  inhu 
man,  unnecessary,  and  likely  to  provoke  hostilities. 

The  parties  thus  united  formed  a  squadron  of  two  boats  and 
six  canoes,  with  which  they  performed  their  voyage  in  safety 
down  the  river,  and  arrived  at  Astoria  on  the  12th  of  June, 
bringing  with  them  a  valuable  stock  of  peltries., 

About  ten   days  previously,  the  brigade   which  had  been 
18* 


210  PELTRIES    FROM    THE    WOLLAMUT. 

quartered  on  the  banks  of  the  Wollamut,  had  arrived  with 
numerous  packs  of  beaver,  the  result  of  a  few  months'  sojourn 
on  that  river.  These  were  the  first  fruits  of  the  enterprise, 
gathered  by  men  as  yet  mere  strangers  in  the  land  ;  but  they 
were  such  as  to  give  substantial  grounds  for  sanguine  antici 
pations  of  profit,  when  the  country  should  be  more  completely 
explored,  and  the  trade  established. 


EQUIVOCAL    CONDUCT    OF    M'DOUGAL.  211. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

THE  PARTNER'S  DISPLEASED  WITH  M'DOUGAL — EQUIVOCAL  CONDUCT  OF  THAT 

GENTLEMAN PARTNERS  AGREE  TO  ABANDON  ASTORIA SALE  OF  GOODS 

TO  M'TAVISH ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  THE  YEAR MANIFESTO  SIGNED  BY 

THE  PARTNERS DEPARTURE  OF  M'TAVISH  FOR  THE  INTERIOR. 

THE  partners  found  Mr.  M'Dougal  m  all  the  bustle  of  prepara 
tion  ;  having  about  nine  days  previously  announced  at  the 
factory,  his  intention  of  breaking  up  the  establishment,  and 
fixed  upon  the  1st  of  July  for  the  time  of  departure.  Messrs. 
Stuart  and  Clarke  felt  highly  displeased  at  his  taking  so  pre 
cipitate  a  step,  without  waiting  for  their  concurrence,  when 
he  must  have  known  that  their  arrival  could  not  be  far  distant. 
Indeed,  the  whole  conduct  of  Mr.  M'Dougal  was  such  as  to 
awaken  strong  doubts  of  his  loyal  devotion  to  the  cause.  His 
old  sympathies  with  the  North-west  Company  seemed  to  have 
revived.  He  had  received  M'Tavish  and  his  party  with  un 
called-for  hospitality,  as  though  they  were  friends  and  allies, 
instead  of  being  a  party  of  observation,  come  to  reconnoitre 
the  state  of  affairs  at  Astoria,  and  to  await  the  arrival  of  a 
hostile  ship.  Had  they  been  left  to  themselves,  they  would 
have  been  starved  off  for  want  of  provisions,  or  driven  away 
by  the  Chinooks,  who  only  wanted  a  signal  from  the  factory 
to  treat  them  as  intruders  and  enemies.  M'Dougal,  on  the 
contrary,  had  supplied  them  from  the  stores  of  the  garrison, 


212  TRANSACTIONS    AT   ASTORIA. 

and  had  gained  them  the  favor  of  the  Indians,  by  treating 
them  as  friends. 

Having  set  his  mind  fixedly  on  the  project  of  breaking  up 
the  establishment  at  Astoria,  in  the  current  year,  M'Dougal 
was  sorely  disappointed  at  finding  that  Messrs.  Stuart  and 
Clarke  had  omitted  to  comply  with  his  request  to  purchase 
horses  and  provisions  for  the  caravan,  across  the  mountains. 
It  was  now  too  late  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  in 
time  for  traversing  the  mountains  before  winter,  and  the  project 
had  to  be  postponed. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  non  arrival  of  the  annual  ship,  and 
the  apprehensions  entertained  of  the  loss,  of  the  Beaver  and 
of  Mr.  Hunt,  had  their  effect  upon  the  minds  of  Messrs.  Stuart 
and  Clarke.  They  began  to  listen  to  the  desponding  repre 
sentations  of  M'Dougal,  seconded  by  M'Kenzie,  who  inveighed 
against  their  situation  as  desperate  and  forlorn ;  left  to  shift 
for  themselves,  or  perish  upon  a  barbarous  coast ;  neglected 
by  those  who  sent  them  there,  and  threatened  with  dangers 
of  every,  kind.  In  this  way  they  were  brought  to  consent  to 
the  plan  of  abandoning  the  country  in  the  ensuing  year. 

About  this  time,  M'Tavish  applied  at  the  factory  to  purchase 
a  small  supply  of  goods  wherewith  to  trade  his  way  back  to 
his  post  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Columbia,  having  waited  in 
vain  for  the  arrival  of  the  Isaac  Todd.  His  request  brought  on 
a  consultation  among  the  partners.  M'Dougal  urged  that  it 
should  be  complied  with.  He  furthermore  proposed,  that 
they  should  give  up  to  M'Tavish,  for  a  proper  consideration, 
the  post  on  the  Spokan,  and  all  its  dependencies,  as  they 
had  not  sufficient  goods  on  hand  to  supply  that  post  them 
selves,  and  to  keep  up  a  competition  with  the  North-west 
Company,  in  the  trade  with  the  neighboring  Indians.  This 
last  representation  has  since  been  proved  incorrect.  By  in- 


PLANS    FOR    THE    YEAR.  213 

ventories,  it  appears,  that  that  their  stock  in  hand  for  the 
supply  of  the  interior  posts,  was  superior  to  that  of  the 
North-west  Company ;  so  that  they  had  nothing  to  fear  from 
competition. 

Through  the  influence  of  Messrs.  M'Dougal  and  M'Kenzie, 
this  proposition  was  adopted,  and  was  promptly  accepted  by 
M'Tavish.  The  merchandize  sold  to  him,  amounted  to  eight 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  dollars,  to  be  paid  for,  in  the  following 
spring,  in  horses,  or  in  any  other  manner  most  acceptable  to 
the  partners  at  that  period. 

This  agreement  being  concluded,  the  partners  formed  their 
plans  for  the  year  that  they  would  yet  have  to  pass  in  the 
country.  Their  objects  were,  chiefly,  present  subsistence,  and 
the  purchase  of  horses  for  the  contemplated  journey,  though 
they  were  likewise  to  collect  as  much  peltries  as  their  dimin 
ished  means  would  command.  Accordingly,  it  was  arranged, 
that  David  Stuart  should  return  to  his  former  post  on  the 
Oakinagan,  and  Mr.  Clarke  should  make  his  sojourn  among 
the  Flatheads.  John  Reed,  the  sturdy  Hibernian,  was  to  under 
take  the  Snake  river  country,  accompanied  by  Pierre  Dorion 
and  Pierre  Delaunay,  as  hunters,  and  Francis  Landry,  Jean 
Baptiste  Turcotte,  Andre  la  Chapelle,  and  Gilles  le  Clerc, 
Canadian  voyageurs. 

Astoria,  however,  was  the  post  about  which  they  felt  the 
greatest  solicitude,  and  on  which  they  all  more  or  less  de 
pended.  The  maintenance  of  this  in  safety  throughout  the 
coming  year,  was,  therefore,  their  grand  consideration.  Mr. 
M'Dougal  was  to  continue  in  command  of  it,  with  a  party 
of  forty  men.  They  would  have  to  depend  chiefly  upon  the 
neighboring  savages  for  their  subsistence.  These,  at  present, 
were  friendly,  but  it  was  to  be  feared  that,  when  they  should 
discover  the  exigencies  of  the  post,  and  its  real  weakness, 


214  MANIFESTO    OF   THE    PARTNERS. 

they  might  proceed  to  hostilities ;  or,  at  any  rate,  might  cease 
to  furnish  their  usual  supplies.  It  was  important,  therefore, 
to  render  the  place  as  independent  as  possible,  of  the  sur 
rounding  tribes  for  its  support;  and  it  was  accordingly  re 
solved  that  M'Kenzie,  with  four  hunters,  and  eight  common 
men  should  winter  in  the  abundant  country  of  the  Wollamut, 
from  whence  they  might  be  enabled  to  furnish  a  constant 
supply  of  provisions  to  Astoria. 

As  there  was  too  great  a  proportion  of  clerks  for  the  number 
of  privates  in  the  service,  the  engagements  of  three  of  them, 
Ross  Cox,  Ross,  and  M'Lennan,  were  surrendered  to  them, 
and  they  immediately  enrolled  themselves  in  the  service  of 
the  North-west  Company ;  glad,  no  doubt,  to  escape  from  what 
they  considered  a  sinking  ship. 

Having  made  all  these  arrangements,  the  four  partners,  on 
the  first  of  July,  signed  a  formal  manifesto,  stating  the  alarm 
ing  state  of  their  affairs,  from  the  non-arrival  of  the  annual 
ship,  and  the  absence  and  apprehended  loss  of  the  Beaver, 
their  want  of  goods,  their  despair  of  receiving  any  further 
supply,  their  ignorance  of  the  coast,  and  their  disappointment 
as  to  the  interior  trade,  which  they  pronounced  unequal  to  the 
expenses  incurred,  and  incompetent  to  stand  against  the  pow 
erful  opposition  of  the  North-west  Company.  And  as  by  the 
16th  article  of  the  company's  agreement,  they  were  authorized 
to  abandon  this  undertaking,  and  dissolve  the  concern,  if  be 
fore  the  period  of  five  years,  it  should  be  found  unprofitable ; 
they  now  formally  announced  their  intention  to  do  so  on  the 
1st  day  of  June,  of  the  ensuing  year,  unless  in  the  interim, 
they  should  receive  the  necessary  support  and  supplies  from 
Mr.  Astor,  or  the  stockholders,  with  orders  to  continue. 

This  instrument,  accompanied  by  private  letters  of  similar 
import,  was  delivered  to  Mr.  M'Tavish,  who  departed  on  the 


MANIFESTO    OF    THE    PARTNERS.  215 

5th  of  July.  He  engaged  to  forward  the  despatches  to  Mr. 
Astor,  by  the  usual  winter  express  sent  over  land  by  the 
North-west  Company. 

The  manifesto  was  signed  with  great  reluctance  by  Messrs. 
Clarke  and  D.  Stuart,  whose  experience  by  no  means  justified 
the  discouraging  account  given  in  it,  of  the  internal  trade,  and 
who  considered  the  main  difficulties  of  exploring  an  unknown 
and  savage  country,  and  of  ascertaining  the  best  trading  and 
trapping  grounds,  in  a  great  measure  overcome.  They  were 
overruled,  however,  by  the  urgent  instances  of  M'Dougal  and 
M'Kenzie,  who,  having  resolved  upon  abandoning  the  enter 
prise,  were  desirous  of  making  as  strong  a  case  as  possible  to 
excuse  their  conduct  to  Mr.  Astor  and  to  the  world. 


216        HOSTILE    MEMORIAL    OF   THE    N.  W.  COMPANY. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

ANXIETIES   OP  MR.  ASTOR — MEMORIAL   OF   THE  'NORTH-WEST  COMPANY 

TIDINGS     OF    A    BRITISH     NAVAL     EXPEDITION     AOAIN8T     ASTORIA MR. 

ASTOR   APPLIES   TO  GOVERNMENT    FOR    PROTECTION THE  FRIGATE  ADAMS 

ORDERED    TO    BE    FITTED    OUT BRIGHT    NEWS    FROM    ASTORIA SUNSHINE 

SUDDENLY   OVERCLOUDED. 

WHILE  difficulties  and  disasters  had  been  gathering  about  the 
infant  settlement  of  Astoria,  the  mind  of  its  projector  at  New 
York,  was  a  prey  to  great  anxiety.  The  ship  Lark,  despatched 
by  him  with  supplies  for  the  establishment,  sailed  on  the  6th 
of  March,  1813.  Within  a  fortnight  afterwards,  he  received 
intelligence  which  justified  all  his  apprehensions  of  hostility 
on  the  part  of  the  British.  The  North-west  Company  had 
made  a  second  memorial  to  that  government,  representing 
Astoria  as  an  American  establishment,  stating  the  vast  scope 
of  its  contemplated  operations,  magnifying  the  strength  of  its 
fortifications,  and  expressing  their  fears  that,  unless  crushed 
in  the  bud,  it  would  effect  the  downfall  of  their  trade. 

Influenced  by  these  representations,  the  British  government 
ordered  the  frigate  Phoebe  to  be  detached  as  a  convoy  for  the 
armed  ship,  Isaac  Todd,  which  was  ready  to  sail  with  men 
and  munitions  for  forming  a  new  establishment.  They  were 
to  proceed  together  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  capture  or 
destroy  whatever  American  fortress  they  should  find  there,  and 
plant  the  British  flag  on  its  ruins. 


FITTING    OUT    OF    THE    ADAMS.  217 

Informed  of  these  movements,  Mr.  Astor  lost  no  time  in 
addressing  a  second  letter  to  the  secretary  of  state,  communi 
cating  this  intelligence,  and  requesting  it  might  be  laid  before 
the  president ;  as  no  notice,  however,  had  been  taken  of  his 
previous  letter,  he  contented  himself  with  this  simple  com 
munication,  and  made  no  further  application  for  aid. 

Awakened  now  to  the  danger  that  menaced  the  establish 
ment  at  Astoria,  and  aware  of  the  importance  of  protecting 
this  foothold  of  American  commerce  and  empire  on  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific,  the  government  determined  to  send  the  frigate 
Adams,  Captain  Crane,  upon  this  service.  On  hearing  of 
this  determination,  Mr.  Astor  immediately  proceeded  to  fit  out 
a  ship  called  the  Enterprise,  to  sail  in  company  with  the 
Adams,  freighted  with  additional  supplies  and  reinforcements 
for  Astoria. 

About  the  middle  of  June,  while  in  the  midst  of  these 
preparations,  Mr.  Astor  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  R.  Stuart 
dated  St.  Louis,  May  1st,  confirming  the  intelligence  already 
received  through  the  public  newspapers,  of  his  safe  return, 
and  of  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  party  at  Astoria,  and 
giving  the  most  flattering  accounts  of  the  prosperity  of  the 
enterprise. 

So  deep  had  been  the  anxiety  of  Mr,  Astor,  for  the  success 
of  this  great  object  of  his  ambition,  that  this  gleam  of  good 
news  was  almost  overpowering.  "  I  felt  ready,"  said  he,  "  to 
fall  upon  my  knees  in  a  transport  of  gratitude." 

At  the  same  time  he  heard  that  the  Beaver  had  made  good 
her  voyage  from  New  York  to  the  Columbia.  This  was 
additional  ground  of  hope  for  the  welfare  of  the  little  colony. 
The  post  being  thus  relieved  and  strengthened  with  an  Ameri 
can  at  its  head,  and  a  ship  of  war  about  to  sail  for  its  protec 
tion,  the  prospect  for  the  future  seemed  full  of  encouragement, 

VOL.  II.  19 


218  A   DISAPPOINTMENT. 

and  Mr.  Astor  proceeded  with  fresh  vigor,  to  fit  out  his  mer 
chant  ship. 

Unfortunately  for  Astoria,  this  bright  gleam  of  sunshine  was 
soon  overclouded.  Just  as  the  Adams  had  received  her  com 
pliment  of  men,  and  the  two  vessels  were  ready  for  sea,  news 
came  from  Commodore  Chauncey,  commanding  on  lake  On 
tario,  that  a  reinforcement  of  seamen  was  wanted  in  that 
quarter.  The  demand  was  urgent,  the  crew  of  the  Adams 
was  immediately  transferred  to  that  service,  and  the  ship  was 
laid  up. 

This  was  a  most  ill-timed  and  discouraging  blow,  but  Mr. 
Astor  would  not  yet  allow  himself  to  pause  in  his  undertaking. 
He  determined  to  send  the  Enterprise  to  sea  alone,  and  let 
her  take  the  chance  of  making  her  unprotected  way  across 
the  ocean.  Just  at  this  time,  however,  a  British  force  made 
its  appearance  off  the  Hook ;  and  the  port  of  New  York  was 
effectually  blockaded.  To  send  a  ship  to  sea  under  these 
circumstances,  would  be  to  expose  her  to  almost  certain  cap- 
ture.  The  Enterprise  was,  therefore,  unloaded  and  dismantled, 
and  Mr.  Astor  was  obliged  to  comfort  himself  with  the  hope 
that  the  Lark  might  reach  Astoria  in  safety,  and  that  aided  by 
her  supplies,  and  by  the  good  management  of  Mr.  Hunt  and 
his  associates,  the  little  colony  might  be  able  to  maintain  itself 
until  the  return  of  peace. 


AN   ALLIANCE    OF    STATE.  219 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

AFFAIRS  OF  STATE  AT  ASTORIA — M'DOUGAL  PROPOSES  FOR  THE  HAND  or 
AN  INDIAN  PRINCESS — MATRIMONIAL  EMBASSY  TO  COMCOMLY — MATRIMO 
NIAL  NOTIONS  AMONG  THE  CmNOOKS SETTLEMENTS  AND  PIN  MONEY— 
THE  BRINGING  HOME  OF  THE  BRIDE A  MANAGING  FATHER-IN-LAW 

ARRIVAL    OF    MR.  HUNT    AT   ASTORIA. 

WE  have  hitherto  had  so  much  to  relate  of  a  gloomy  and  disas 
trous  nature,  that  it  is  with  a  feeling  of  momentary  relief  we 
turn  to  something  of  a  more  pleasing  complexion,  and  record 
the  first,  and  indeed  only  nuptials  in  high  life  that  took  place 
in  the  infant  settlement  of  Astoria. 

M'Dougal,  who  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  a  thousand 
projects,  and  of  great,  though  somewhat  irregular  ambition, 
suddenly  conceived  the  idea  of  seeking  the  hand  of  one  of  the 
native  princesses,  a  daughter  of  the  one-eyed  potentate  Com- 
comly,  who  held  sway  over  the  fishing  tribe  of  the  Chinooks, 
and  had  long  supplied  the  factory  with  smelts  and  sturgeons. 

Some  accounts  give  rather  a  romantic  origin  to  this  affair, 
tracing  it  to  the  stormy  night,  when  M'Dougal,  in  the  course 
of  an  exploring  expedition,  was  driven  by  stress  of  weather, 
to  seek  shelter  in  the  royal  abode  of  Comcomly.  Then  and 
there  he  was  first  struck  with  the  charms  of  this  piscatory 
princess,  as  she  exerted  herself  to  entertain  her  father's  guest. 

The  "journal  of  Astoria,"  however,  which  was  kept  under 
his  own  eye,  records  this  union  as  a  high  state  alliance,  and 
great  stroke  of  policy.  The  factory  had  to  depend,  in  a  great 


MATRIMONIAL   ARRANGEMENTS. 

measure,  on  the  Chinooks  for  provisions.  They  were  at  pre 
sent  friendly,  but  it  was  to  be  feared  they  would  prove  other 
wise,  should  they  discover  the  weakness  and  the  exigencies 
of  the  post,  and  the  intention  to  leave  the  country.  This 
alliance,  therefore,  would  infallibly  rivet  Comcomly  to  the 
interests  of  the  Astorians,  and  with  him  the  powerful -tribe  of 
the  Chinooks.  Be  this  as  it  may,  and  it  is  hard  to  fathom  the 
real  policy  of  governors  and  princes,  M'Dougal  despatched 
two  of  the  clerks  as  ambassadors  extraordinary,  to  wait  upon 
the  one-eyed  chieftain,  and  make  overtures  for  the  hand  of  his 
daughter. 

The  Chinooks,  though  not  a  very  refined  nation,  have  notions 
of  matrimonial  arrangements  that  would  not  disgrace  the  most 
refined  sticklers  for  settlements  and  pin  money.  The  suitor 
repairs  not  to  the  bower  of  his  mistress,  but  to  her  father's 
lodge,  and  throws  down  a  present  at  his  feet.  His  wishes  are 
then  disclosed  by  some  discreet  friend  employed  by  him  for 
the  purpose.  If  the  suitor  and  his  present  find  favor  in  the 
eyes  of  the  father,  he  breaks  the  matter  to  his  daughter,  and 
inquires  into  the  state  of  her  inclinations.  Should  her  answer 
be  favorable,  the  suit  is  accepted,  and  the  lover  has  to  make 
further  presents  to  the  father,  of  horses,  canoes,  and  other 
valuables,  according  to  the  beauty  and  merits  of  the  bride ; 
looking  forward  to  a  return  in  kind  whenever,  they  shall  go  to 
house-keeping. 

We  have  more  than  once  had  occasion  to  speak  of  the 
shrewdness  of  Comcomly  ;  but  never  was  it  exerted  more 
adroitly  than  on  this  occasion.  He  was  a  great  friend  of 
M'Dougal,  and  pleased  with  the  idea  of  having  so  distinguished 
a  son-in-law  ;  but  so  favorable  an  opportunity  of  benefiting  his 
own  fortune,  was  hot  likely  to  occur  a  second  time,  and  he 
determined  to  make  the  most  of  it.  Accordingly,  the  negotia- 


BRINGING    HOME    THE    BRIDE.  221 

tion  was  protracted  with  true  diplomatic  skill.  Conference 
after  conference  was  held  with  the  two  ambassadors :  Com- 
comly  was  extravagant  in  his  terms  ;  rating  the  charms  of  his 
daughter  at  the  highest  price,  and  indeed  she  is  represented  as 
having  one  of  the  flattest  and  most  aristocratical  heads  in  the 
tribe.  At  length  the  preliminaries  were  all  happily  adjusted. 
On  the  20th  of  July,  early  in  the  afternoon,  a  squadron  of 
canoes  crossed  from  the  village  of  the  Chinooks,  bearing  the 
royal  family  of  Comcomly,  and  all  his  court. 

That  worthy  sachem  landed  in  princely  state,  arrayed  in  a 
bright  blue  blanket  and  red  breech  clout,  with  an  extra  quan 
tity  of  paint  and  feathers,  attended  by  a  train  of  half-naked 
warriors  and  nobles.  A  horse  was  in  waiting  to  receive  the 
princess,  who  was  mounted  behind  one  of  the  clerks,  and  thus 
conveyed,  coy  but  compliant,  to  the  fortress.  Here  she  was 
received  with  devout,  though  decent  joy,  by  her  expecting 
bridegroom. 

Her  bridal  adornments,  it  is  true,  at  first  caused  some  little 
dismay,  having  painted  and  anointed  herself  for  the  occasion 
according  to  the  Chinook  toilet ;  by  dint,  however,  of  copious 
ablutions,  she  was  freed  from  all  adventitious  tint,  and  fra 
grance,  and  entered  into  the  nuptial  state,  the  cleanest  princess 
that  had  ever  been  known,  of  the  somewhat  unctuous  tribe  of 
the  Chinooks. 

From  that  time  forward,  Comcomly  was  a  daily  visiter  at 
the  fort,  and  was  admitted  into  the  most  intimate  councils  of 
his  son-in-law.  He  took  an  interest  in  every  thing  that  was 
going  forward,  but  was  particularly  frequent  in  his  visits  to  the 
blacksmith's  shop ;  tasking  the  labors  of  the  artificer  in  iron 
for  every  kind  of  weapon  and  implement  suited  to  the  savage 
state,  insomuch  that  the  necessary  business  of  the  factory  was 

often  postponed  to  attend  to  his  requisitions. 

19* 


222  ARRIVAL   OF   A    SHIP. 

The  honey  moon  had  scarce  passed  away,  and  M'Dougal 
was  seated  with  his  bride  in  the  fortress  of  Astoria,  when, 
about  noon  of  the  20th  of  August,  Gassacop,  the  son  of  Com- 
comly,  hurried  into  his  presence  with  great  agitation,  and 
announced  a  ship  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  news  pro 
duced  a  vast  sensation.  Was  it  a  ship  of  peace  or  war  ? 
Was  it  American  or  British?  Was  it  the  Beaver  or  the 
Isaac  Todd?  M'Dougal  hurried  to  the  water  side,  threw 
himself  into  a  boat,  and  ordered  the  hands  to  pull  with  all 
speed  for  the  mouth  of  the  harbor.  Those  in  the  fort  remained 
watching  the  entrance  of  the  river,  anxious  to  know  whether 
they  were  to  prepare  for  greeting  a  friend  or  fighting  an  enemy. 
At  length  the  ship  was  descried  crossing  the  bar,  and  bending 
her  course  towards  Astoria.  Every  gaze  was  fixed  upon  her 
in  silent  scrutiny,  until  the  American  flag  was  recognised. 
A  general  shout  was  the  first  expression  of  joy,  and  next  a 
salutation  was  thundered  from  the  cannon  of  the  fort. 

The  vessel  came  to  anchor  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
and  returned  the  salute.  The  boat  of  Mr.  M'Dougal  went  on 
board,  and  was  seen  returning  late  in  the  afternoon.  The 
Astorians  watched  her  with  straining  eyes,  to  discover  who 
were  on  board,  but  the  sun  went  down,  and  the  evening  closed 
in,  before  she  was  sufficiently  near.  At  length  she  reached 
the  land,  and  Mr.  Hunt  stepped  on  shore.  He  was  hailed  as 
one  risen  from  the  dead,  and  his  return  was  a  signal  for  merri 
ment  almost  equal  to  that  which  prevailed  at  the  nuptials  of 
M'Dougal. 

We  must  now  explain  the  cause  of -this  gentleman's  long 
absence,  which  had  given  rise  to  such  gloomy  and  dispiriting 
surmises. 


VOYAGE    TO    NEW    ARCHANGEL.  223 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

VOYAGE  OP  THE  BEAVER  TO  NEW  ARCHANGEL — A  RUSSIAN  GOVERNOR — 
ROYSTERING  RULE THE  TYRANNY  OF  THE  TABLE HARD  DRINKING  BAR 
GAINS — VOYAGE  TO  KAMSCHATKA — SEAL-CATCHING  ESTABLISHMENT  AT  ST 
PAUL'S — STORMS  AT  SEA — MR.  HUNT  LEFT  AT  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS — 

TRANSACTIONS  OF    THE    BEAVER    AT  CANTON RETURN    OF   MR.  HUNT    TO 

ASTORIA. 

IT  will  be  recollected,  that  the  destination  of  the  Beaver,  Avhen 
she  sailed  from  Astoria  on  the  4th  of  August  in  1812,  was  to 
proceed  northwardly  along  the  coast  to  Sheetka,  or  New  Arch 
angel,  there  to  dispose  of  that  part  of  her  cargo  intended  for 
the  supply  of  the  Russian,  establishment  at  that  place,  and  then 
to  return  to  Astoria,  where  it  was  expected  she  would  arrive 
in  October. 

New  Archangel  is  situated  in  Norfolk  Sound,  lat.  57°  2'  N., 
long.  135°  50'  W.  It  was  the  head  quarters  of  the  different 
colonies  of  the  Russian  Fur  Company,  and  the  common  ren 
dezvous  of  the  American  vessels  trading  along  the  coast. 

The  Beaver  met  with  nothing  worthy  of  particular  mention 
in  her  voyage,  and  arrived  at  New  Archangel  on  the  19th  of 
August.  The  place  at  that  time  was  the  residence  of  Count 
Baranoff,  the  governor  of  the  different  colonies  :  a  rough,  rug 
ged,  hospitable,  hard  drinking  old  Russian  ;  somewhat  of  a 
soldier,  somewhat  of  a  trader ;  above  all,  a  boon  companion  of 
the  old  roystering  school,  with  a  strong  cross  of  the  bear. 


224  A   HARD   DRINKING    GOVERNOR. 

Mr.  Hunt  found  this  hyperborean  veteran  ensconced  in  a 
fort  which  crested  the  whole  of  a  high  rocky  promontory.  It 
mounted  one  hundred  guns,  large  and  small,  and  was  impreg 
nable  to  Indian  attack,  unaided  by  artillery.  Here  the  old 
governor  lorded  it  over  sixty  Russians,  who  formed  the  corps 
of  the  trading  establishment,  beside  an  indefinite  number  of 
Indian  hunters  of  the  Kodiak  tribe,  who  were  continually 
coming  and  going,  or  lounging  and  loitering  about  the  fort  like 
so  many  hounds  round  a  sportsman's  hunting  quarters.  Though 
a  loose  liver  among  his  guests,  the  governor  was  a  strict  dis 
ciplinarian  among  his  men  ;  keeping  them  in  perfect  subjection, 
and  having  seven  on  guard  night  and  day. 

Beside  those  immediate  serfs  and  dependants  just  mentioned, 
the  old  Russian  potentate  exerted  a  considerable  sway  over  a 
numerous  and  irregular  class  of  maritime  traders,  who  looked 
to  him  for  aid  and  munitions,  and  through  whom  he  may  be 
said  to  have,  in  some  degree,  extended  his  power  along  the 
whole  north-west  coast.  These  were  American  captains  of 
vessels  engaged  in  a  particular  department  of  trade.  One  of 
these  captains  would  come,  in  a  manner,  empty  handed  to  New 
Archangel.  Here  his  ship  would  be  furnished  with  about  fifty 
canoes  and  a  hundred  Kodiak  hunters,  and  fitted  out  with  pro 
visions,  and  every  thing  necessary  for  hunting  the  sea  otter  on 
the  coast  of  California,  where  the  Russians  have  another 
establishment.  The  ship  would  ply  along  the  Californian 
coast  from  place  to  place,  dropping  parties  of  otter  hunters  in 
their  canoes,  furnishing  them  only  with  water,  and  leaving 
them  to  depend  upon  their  own  dexterity  for  a  maintenance. 
When  a  sufficient  cargo  was  collected,  she  would  gather  up 
her  canoes  and  hunters,  and  return  with  them  to  Archangel ; 
where  the  captain  would  render  in  the  returns  of  his  voyage, 
and  receive  one  half  of  the  skins  for  his  share. 


TYRANNY    OF    THE    TABLE.  225 

Over  these  coasting  captains,  as  we  have  hinted,  the  veteran 
governor  exerted  some  sort  of  sway,  but  it  was  of  a  peculiar 
and  characteristic  kind  ;  it  was  the  tyranny  of  the  table.  They 
were  obliged  to  join  him  in  his  "  prosnics"  or  carousals,  and 
to  drink  "  potations  pottle  deep."  His  carousals,  too,  were 
not  of  the  most  quiet  kind,  nor  were  his  potations  as  mild  as 
nectar.  "  He  is  continually,"  said  Mr.  Hunt,  "  giving  enter 
tainments  by  way  of  parade,  and  if  you  do  not  drink  raw  rum, 
and  boiling  punch  as  strong  as  sulphur,  he  will  insult  you  as 
soon  as  he  gets  drunk,  which  is  very  shortly  after  setting 
down  to  table." 

As  to  any  "  temperance  captain"  who  stood  fast  to  his  faith, 
and  refused  to  give  up  his  sobriety,  he  might  go  elsewhere  for 
a  market,  for  he  stood  no  chance  with  the  governor.  Rarely, 
however,  did  any  cold  water  caitiff  of  the  kind  darken  the 
door  of  old  Baranhoff;  the  coasting  captains  knew  too  well 
his  humor  and  their  own  interests ;  they  joined  in  his  revels, 
they  drank,  and  sang,  and  whooped,  and  hiccuped,  until  they 
all  got  "  half  seas  over,"  and  then  affairs  went  on  swimmingly. 

An  awful  warning  to  all  "  flinchers"  occurred  shortly  before 
Mr.  Hunt's  arrival.  A  young  naval  officer  had  recently  been 
sent  out  by  the  emperor  to  take  command  of  one  of  the  com 
pany's  vessels.  The  governor,  as  usual,  had  him  at  his 
"  prosnics,"  and  plied  him  with  fiery  potations.  The  young 
man  stood  on  the  defensive  until  the  old  count's  ire  was  com 
pletely  kindled ;  he  carried  his  point,  and  made  the  greenhorn 
tipsy,  willy  nilly.  In  proportion  as  they  grew  fuddled  they 
grew  noisy,  they  quarrelled  in  their  cups  ;  the  youngster  paid 
old  Baranhoff  in  .his  own  coin  by  rating  him  soundly ;  in  re 
ward  for  which,  when  sober,  he  was  taken  the  rounds  of  four 
pickets,  and  received  seventy-nine  lashes,  taled  out  with  Rus 
sian  punctuality  of  punishment. 


226  A    KEEN    BARGAIN. 

Such  was  the  old  grizzled  bear  with  whom  Mr.  Hunt 
had  to  do  his  business.  How  he  managed  to  cope  with  his 
humor ;  whether  he  pledged  him  in  raw  rum  and  blazing 
punch,  and  "clinked  the  can"  with  him  as  they  made  their 
bargains,  does  not  appear  upon  record ;  we  must  infer,  how 
ever,  from  his  general  observations  on  the  absolute  sway  of 
this  hard-drinking  potentate,  that  he  had  to  conform  to  the 
customs  of  his  court,  and  that  their  business  transactions  pre 
sented  a  maudlin  mixture  of  punch  and  peltry. 

The  greatest  annoyance  to  Mr.  Hunt,  however,  was  the 
delay  to  which  he  was  subjected,  in  disposing  of  the  cargo 
of  the  ship,  and  getting  the  requisite  returns.  With  all  the 
governor's  devotions  to  the  bottle,  he  never  obfuscated  his 
faculties  sufficiently  to  lose  sight  of  his  interest,  and  is  repre 
sented  by  Mr.  Hunt  as  keen,  not  to  say  crafty,  at  a  bargain, 
as  the  most  arrant  water  drinker.  A  long  time  was  expended 
negotiating  with  him,  and  by  the  time  the  bargain  was  con 
cluded,  the  month  of  October  had  arrived.  To  add  to  the 
delay  he  was  to  be  paid  for  his  cargo  in  seal  skins.  Now 
it  so  happened  that  there  was  none  of  this  kind  of  peltry  at 
the  fort  of  old  Baranhoff.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  for 
Mr.  Hunt  to  proceed  to  a  seal  catching  establishment,  which 
the  Russian  company  had  at  the  island  of  St.  Paul,  in  the  sea 
of  Kamschatka.  He  accordingly  set  sail  on  the  4th  of  October, 
after  having  spent  forty-five  days  at  New  Archangel,  boosing 
and  bargaining  with  its  roystering  commander,  and  right  glad 
was  he  to  escape  from  the  clutches  of  this  "  old  man  of  the  sea." 

The  Beaver  arrived  at  St.  Paul's  on  the  31st  of  October; 
by  which  time,  according  to  arrangement,  he  ought  to  have 
been  back  at  Astoria.  The  island  of  St.  Paul's  is  in  latitude 
57°  N.,  longitude  170°  or  171°  W.  Its  shores,  in  certain 
places,  and  at  certain  seasons,  are  covered  with  seals,  while 


FISHY  FOOD  AND  FUEL.  227 

others  are  playing  about  in  the  water.  Of  these,  the  Russians 
take  only  the  small  ones,  from  seven  to  ten  months  old,  and 
carefully  select  the  males,  giving  the  females  their  freedom, 
that  the  breed  may  not  be  diminished.  The  islanders,  how 
ever,  kill  the  large  ones  for  provisions,  and  for  skins  where 
with  to  cover  their  canoes.  They  drive  them  from  the  shore 
over  the  rocks,  until  within  a  short  distance  of  their  habita 
tions,  where  they  kill  them.  By  this  means,  they  save  them 
selves  the  trouble  of  carrying  the  skins,  and  have  the  flesh 
at  hand.  This  is  thrown  in  heaps,  and  when  the  season  for 
skinning  is  over,  they  take  out  the  entrails,  and  make  one 
heap  of  the  blubber.  This,  with  drift  wood,  serves  for  fuel, 
for  the  island  is  entirely  destitute  of  trees.  They  make  another 
heap  of  the  flesh,  which,  with  the  eggs  of  sea  fowls,  preserved 
in  oil,  an  occasional  sea  lion,  a  few  ducks  in  winter,  and  some 
wild  roots,  composes  their  food. 

Mr.  Hunt  found  seven  Russians  at  the  island,  and  one  hun 
dred  hunters,  natives  of  Oonalaska,  with  their  families.  They 
lived  in  cabins  that  looked  like  canoes ;  being,  for  the  most 
part  formed  of  the  jaw  bone  of  a  whale,  put  up  as  rafters, 
across  which  were  laid  pieces  of  drift  wood  covered  over  with 
long  grass,  the  skins  of  large  sea  animals,  and  earth ;  so  as 
to  be  quite  comfortable,  in  despite  of  the  rigors  of  the  climate  ; 
though  we  are  told  they  had  as  ancient  and  fish-like  an  odor, 
"as  had  the  quarters  of  Jonah,  when  lodged  within  the  whale." 

In  one  of  these  odoriferous  mansions,  Mr.  Hunt  occasionally 
took  up  his  abode,  that  he  might  be  at  hand  to  hasten  the 
loading  of  the  ship.  The  operation,  however,  was  somewhat 
slow,  for  it  was  necessary  to  overhaul  and  inspect  every  pack, 
to  prevent  imposition,  and  the  peltries  had  then  to  be  conveyed 
in  large  boats,  made  of  skins,  to  the  ship,  which  was  some 
little  distance  from  the  shore,  standing  off  and  on. 


228  DILEMMA    OF    MR.    HUNT. 

One  night,  while  Mr.  Hunt  was  on  shore,  with  some  others 
of  the  crew,  there  rose  a  terrible  gale.  When  the  day  broke, 
the  ship  was  not  to  be  seen.  He  watched  for  her  with  anxious 
eyes  until  night,  but  in  vain.  Day  after  day  of  boisterous 
storms,  and  howling  wintry  weather,  were  passed  in  watchful 
ness  and  solicitude.  Nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  a  dark  and 
angry  sea,  and  a  scowling  northern  sky ;  and  at  night  he 
retired  within  the  jaws  of  the  whale,  and  nestled  discon 
solately  among  seal  skins. 

At  length,  on  the  13th  of  November,  the  Beaver  made  her 
appearance  ;  much  the  worse  for  the  stormy  conflicts,  she  had 
sustained  in  those  hyperborean  seas.  She  had  been  obliged 
to  carry  a  press  of  sail  in  heavy  gales,  to  be  able  to  hold  her 
ground,  and  had  consequently  sustained  great  damage  in  her 
canvass  and  rigging.  Mr.  Hunt  lost  no  time  in  hurrying  the 
residue  of  the  cargo  on  board  of  her ;  then,  bidding  adieu  to 
his  seal  fishing  friends,  and  his  whale-bone  habitation,  he  put 
forth  once  more  to  sea. 

He  was  now  for  making  the  best  of  his  way  to  Astoria,  and 
fortunate  would  it  have  been  for  the  interests  of  that  place, 
and  the  interests  of  Mr.  Astor,  had  he  done  so ;  but,  unluckily, 
a  perplexing  question  rose  in  his  mind.  The  sails  and  rigging 
of  the  Beaver  had  been  much  rent  and  shattered  in  the  late 
storm ;  would  she  be  able  to  stand  the  hard  gales  to  be 
expected  in  making  Columbia  river  at  this  season  ?  Was  it 
prudent,  also,  at  this  boisterous  time  of  the  year,  to  risk  the 
valuable  cargo  which  she  now  had  on  board,  by  crossing  and 
recrossing  the  dangerous  bar  of  that  river  ?  These  doubts  were 
probably  suggested  or  enforced  by  Captain  Sowle,  who,  it 
has  already  been  seen,  was  an  over-cautious,  or  rather,  a  timid 
seaman,  and  they  may  have  had  some  weight  with  Mr.  Hunt ; 
but  there  were  other  considerations,  which  more  strongly 


INJUDICIOUS    DECISION.  229 

swayed  his  mind.  The  lateness  of  the  season,  and  the  unfore 
seen  delays  the  ship  had  encountered  at  New  Archangel,  and 
by  being  obliged  to  proceed  to  St.  Paul's,  had  put  her  so  much 
back  in  her  calculated  time,  that  there  was  a  risk  of  her 
arriving  so  late  at  Canton,  as  to  come  to  a  bad  market,  both 
for  the  sale  of  her  peltries,  and  the  purchase  of  a  return  cargo. 
He  considered  it  to  the  interest  of  the  company,  therefore,  that 
he  should  proceed  at  once  to  the  Sandwich  islands ;  there  wait 
the  arrival  of  the  annual  vessel  from  New  York,  take  passage 
in  her  to  Astoria,  and  suffer  the  Beaver  to  continue  on  to 
Canton. 

On  the  other  hand,  he  was  urged  to  the  other  course  by  his 
engagements ;  by  the  plan  of  the  voyage  marked  out  for  the 
Beaver,  by  Mr.  Astor ;  by  his  inclination,  and  the  possibility 
that  the  establishment  might  need  his  presence,  and  by  the 
recollection  that  there  must  already  be  a  large  amount  of  pel 
tries  collected  at  Astoria,  and  waiting  for  the  return  of  the 
Beaver,  to  convey  them  to  market. 

These  conflicting  questions  perplexed  and  agitated  his  mind, 
and  gave  rise  to  much  anxious  reflection,  for  he  was  a  consci 
entious  man  that  seems  ever  to  have  aimed  at  a  faithful  dis 
charge  of  his  duties,  and  to  have  had  the  interests  of  his 
employers  earnestly  at  heart.  His  decision  in  the  present 
instance  was  injudicious,  and  proved  unfortunate.  It  was, 
to  bear  away  for  the  Sandwich  islands.  He  persuaded  him 
self  that  it  was  matter  of  necessity,  and  that  the  distressed 
condition  of  the  ship  left  him  no  other  alternative ;  but  we 
rather  suspect  he  was  so  persuaded  by  the  representations 
of  the  timid  captain.  They  accordingly  stood  for  the  Sand 
wich  islands,  arrived  at  Woahoo,  where  the  ship  underwent 
the  necessary  repairs,  and  again  put  to  sea  on  the  1st  of  Jan 
uary,  1813  ;  leaving  Mr.  Hunt  on  the  island. 

VOL.  n.  20 


230  THE  BEAVER  AT  CANTON. 

We  will  follow  the  Beaver  to  Canton,  as  her  fortunes,  in 
some  measure,  exemplify  the  evil  of  commanders  of  ships 
acting  contrary  to  orders  ;  and  as  they  form  a  part  of  the  tissue 
of  cross  purposes  that  marred  the  great  commercial  enterprise, 
we  have  undertaken  to  record. 

The  Beaver  arrived  safe  at  Canton,  where  Captain  Sowle 
found  the  letter  of  Mr.  Astor,  giving  him  information  of  the 
war,  and  directing  him  to  convey  the  intelligence  to  Astoria. 
He  wrote  a  reply,  dictated  either  by  timidity  or  obstinacy, 
in  which  he  declined  complying  with  the  orders  of  Mr.  Astor, 
but  said  he  would  wait  for  the  return  of  peace,  and  then  come 
home.  The  other  proceedings  of  Captain  Sowle  were  equally 
wrong  headed  and  unlucky.  He  was  offered  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars  for  the  fur  he  had  taken  on  board  at  St. 
Paul's.  The  goods  for  which  it  had  been  procured,  cost  but 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  in  New  York.  Had  he  accepted 
this  offer,  and  re-invested  the  amount  in  nankeens,  which  at 
that  time,  in  consequence  of  the  interruption  to  commerce  by 
the  war,  were  at  two  thirds  of  their  usual  price,  the  whole 
would  have  brought  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  New 
York.  It  is  true,  the  war  would  have  rendered  it  unsafe  to 
attempt  the  homeward  voyage,  but  he  might  have  put  the 
goods  in  store  at  Canton,  until  after  the  peace,  and  have 
sailed  without  risk  of  capture  to  Astoria ;  bringing  to  the 
partners  at  that  place  tidings  of  the  great  profits  realized  on 
the  outward  cargo,  and  the  still  greater  to  be  expected  from 
the  returns.  The  news  of  such  a  brilliant  commencement  to 
their  undertaking  would  have  counterbalanced  the  gloomy 
tidings  of  the  war ;  it  would  have  infused  new  spirit  into  them 
all,  and  given  them  courage  and  constancy  to  persevere  in  the 
enterprise.  Captain  Sowle,  however,  refused  the  offer  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  stood  wavering  and 


WANDERING    VOYAGES    OF    MR.    HUNT.  231 

chaffering  for  higher  terms.  The  furs  began  to  fall  in  value  ; 
this  only  increased  his  irresolution ;  they  sunk  so  much  that 
he  feared  to  sell  at  all ;  he  borrowed  money  on  Mr.  Astor's 
account  at  an  interest  of  eighteen  per  cent,  and  laid  up  his 
ship  to  await  the  return  of  peace. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Mr.  Hunt  soon  saw  reason  to  repent 
the  resolution  he  had  adopted  in  altering  the  destination  of  the 
ship.  His  stay  at  the  Sandwich  islands  was  prolonged  far 
beyond  all  expectation.  He  looked  in  vain  for  the  annual 
ship  in  the  spring.  Month  after  month  passed  by,  and  still 
she  did  not  make  her  appearance.  He,  too,  proved  the  danger 
of  departing  from  orders.  Had  he  returned  from  St.  Paul's 
to  Astoria,  all  the  anxiety  and  despondency  about  his  fate,  and 
about  the  whole  course  of  the  undertaking,  would  have  been 
obviated.  The  Beaver  would  have  received  the  furs  collected 
at  the  factory,  and  taken  them  to  Canton,  and  great  gains, 
instead  of  great  losses,  would  have  heen  the  result.  The 
greatest  blunder,  however,  was  that  committed  by  Captain 
Sowle. 

At  length,  about  the  20th  of  June,  the  ship  Albatross,  Cap 
tain  Smith,  arrived  from  China,  and  brought  the  first  tidings 
of  the  war  to  the  Sandwich  islands.  Mr.  Hunt  was  no  longer 
in  doubt  and  perplexity  as  to  the  reason  of  the  non-appearance 
of  the  annual  ship.  His  first  thoughts  were  for  the  welfare 
of  Astoria,  and,  concluding  that  the  inhabitants  would  probably 
be  in  want  of  provisions,  he  chartered  the  Albatross  for  two 
thousand  dollars,  to  land  him,  with  some  supplies,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia,  where  he  arrived,  as  we  have  seen,  on  the 
20th  of  August,  after  a  year's  sea-faring  that  might  have  fur 
nished  a  chapter  in  the  wanderings  of  Sinbad. 


232  ARRANGEMENTS    AT    ASTORIA. 


CHAPTER    XXVIil. 

ARRANGEMENTS  AMONG  THE  PARTNERS — MR.  HUNT  SAILS  IN  THE  ALBATROSS 

ARRIVES  AT  THE  MARQUESAS NEWS    OF    THE    FRIGATE    PHOEBE MR. 

H0NT    PROCEEDS    TO    THE    SANDWICH    ISLANDS TOTAGE    OF    THE  LARK 

HER    SHIPWRECK TRANSACTIONS    WITH    THE    NATIVES  OF   THE    SANDWICH 

ISLANDS CONDUCT    OF    TAMAAHHAAH. 

MR.  HUNT  was  overwhelmed  with  surprise  when  he  learnt  the 
resolution  taken  by  the  partners  to  abandon  Astoria.  He  soon 
found,  however,  that  matters  had  gone  too  far,  and  the  minds 
of  his  colleagues  had  become  too  firmly  bent  upon  the  measure, 
to  render  any  opposition  of  avail.  He  was  beset,  too,  with  the 
same  disparaging  accounts  of  the  interior  trade,  and  of  the 
whole  concerns  and  prospects  of  the  company  that  had  been 
rendered  to  Mr.  Astor.  His  own  experience  had  been  full  of 
perplexities  and  discouragements.  He  had  a  conscientious 
anxiety  for  the  interests  of  Mr.  Astor,  and,  not  comprehending 
the  extended  views  of  that  gentleman,  and  his  habit  of  operating 
with  great  amounts,  he  had  from  the  first  been  daunted  by  the 
enormous  expenses  required,  and  had  become  disheartened  by 
the  subsequent  losses  sustained,  which  appeared  to  him  to  be 
ruinous  in  their  magnitude.  By  degrees,  therefore,  he  was 
brought  to  acquiesce  in  the  step  taken  by  his  colleagues,  as 
perhaps  advisable  in  the  exigencies  of  the  case  ;  his  only  care 
was  to  wind  up  the  business  with  as  little  further  loss  as 
possible  to  Mr.  Astor. 


FURTHER    ARRANGEMENTS.  233 

A  large  stock  of  valuable  furs  was  collected  at  the  factory, 
which  it  was  necessary  to  get  to  a  market.  There  were 
twenty-five  Sandwich  islanders  also  in  the  employ  of  the 
company,  whom  they  were  bound  by  express  agreement  to 
restore  to  their  native  country.  For  these  purposes  a  ship 
was  necessary. 

The  Albatross  was  bound  to  the  Marquesas,  and  thence  to 
the  Sandwich  islands.  It  was  resolved  that  Mr.  Hunt  should 
sail  in  her  in  quest  of  a  vessel,  and  should  return,  if  possible, 
by  the  1st  of  January,  bringing  with  him  a  supply  of  provi 
sions.  Should  any  thing  occur,  however,  to  prevent  his  return, 
an  arrangement  was  to  be  proposed  to  Mr.  M'Tavish,  to  trans 
fer  such  of  the  men  as  were  so  disposed,  from  the  service  of 
the  American  Fur  Company  into  that  of  the  North-west,  the 
latter  becoming  responsible  for  the  wages  due  them,  on  receiv 
ing  an  equivalent  in  goods  from  the  storehouse  of  the  factory. 
As  a  means  of  facilitating  the  despatch  of  business,  Mr.  M'Dou- 
gal  proposed,  that  in  case  Mr.  Hunt  should  not  return,  the 
whole  arrangement  with  Mr.  M'Tavish  should  be  left  solely 
to  him.  This  was  assented  to ;  the  contingency  being  consi 
dered  possible,  but  not  probable. 

It  is  proper  to  note,  that,  on  the  first  announcement  by  Mr. 
M'Dougal  of  his  intention  to  break  up  the  establishment,  three 
of  the  clerks,  British  subjects,  had,  with  his  consent,  passed 
into  the  service  of  the  North-west  Company,  and  departed  with 
Mr.  M'Tavish  for  his  post  in  the  interior. 

Having  arranged  all  these  matters  during  a  sojourn  of  six 
days  at  Astoria,  Mr.  Hunt  set  sail  in  the  Albatross  on  the  26th 
of  August,  and  arrived,  without  accident  at  the  Marquesas. 
He  had  not  been  there  long,  when  Porter  arrived  in  the  frigate 
Essex,  bringing  in  a  number  of  stout  London  whalers  as  prizes, 

having  made  a  sweeping  cruize  in  the  Pacific.     From  Com- 

20* 


234  FRUITLESS    EXPEDIENTS. 

inodore  Porter  he  received  the  alarming  intelligence  that  the 
British  frigate  Phoebe,  with  a  storeship,  mounted  with  battering 
pieces,  calculated  to  attack  forts,  had  arrived  at  Rio  Janeiro, 
where  she  had  been  joined  by  the  sloops  of  war  Cherub  and 
Racoon,  and  that  they  had  all  sailed  in  company  on  the  6th  of 
July  for  the  Pacific,  bound,  as  it  was  supposed,  to  Columbia 
river. 

Here,  then,  was  the  death-warrant  of  unfortunate  Astoria ! 
The  anxious  mind  of  Mr.  Hunt  was  in  greater  perplexity  than 
ever.  He  had  been  eager  to  extricate  the  property  of  Mr. 
Astor  from  a  failing  concern  with  as  little  loss  as  possible ; 
there  was  now  danger  that  the  whole  would  be  swallowed  up. 
How  was  it  to  be  snatched  from  the  gulf?  It  was  impossible 
to  charter  a  ship  for  the  purpose,  now  that  a  British  squadron 
was  on  its  way  to  the  river.  He  applied  to  purchase  one  of 
the  whale  ships  brought  in  by  Commodore  Porter.  The  com 
modore  demanded  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  for  her.  The 
price  appeared  exorbitant,  and  no  bargain  could  be  made.  Mr. 
Hunt  then  urged  the  commodore  to  fit  out  one  of  his  prizes, 
and  send  her  to  Astoria,  to  bring  off  the  property  and  part  of 
the  people,  but  he  declined,  "  from  want  of  authority."  He 
assured  Mr.  Hunt,  however,  that  he  would  endeavor  to  fall  in 
with  the  enemy,  or,  should  he  hear  of  their  having  certainly 
gone  to  the  Columbia,  he  would  either  follow  or  anticipate 
them,  should  his  circumstances  warrant  such  a  step. 

In  this  tantalizing  state  of  suspense,  Mr.  Hunt  was  detained 
at  the  Marquesas  until  November  23d,  when  he  proceeded  in 
the  Albatross  to  the  Sandwich  islands.  He  still  cherished  a 
faint  hope  that,  notwithstanding  the  war,  and  all  other  discou 
raging  circumstances,  the  annual  ship  might  have  been  sent 
by  Mr.  Astor,  and  might  have  touched  at  the  islands,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  the  Columbia.  He  knew  the  pride  and  interest 


WRECK    OF    THE    LARK.  235 

taken  by  that  gentleman  in  his  great  enterprise,  and  that  he 
would  not  be  deterred  by  dangers  and  difficulties  from  pro 
secuting  it ;  much  less  would  he  leave  the  infant  establishment 
without  succor  and  support  in  the  time  of  trouble.  In  this,  we 
have  seen,  he  did  but  justice  to  Mr.  Astor  ;  and  we  must  now 
turn  to  notice  the  cause  of  the  non-arrival  of  the  vessel  which 
he  had  despatched  with  reinforcements  and  supplies.  Her 
voyage  forms  another  chapter  of  accidents  in  this  eventful 
story. 

The  Lark  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  6th  of  March,  1813, 
and  proceeded  prosperously  on  her  voyage,  until  within  a  few 
degrees  of  the  Sandwich  islands.  Here  a  gale  sprang  up  that 
soon  blew  with  tremendous  violence.  The  Lark  was  a  stanch 
and  noble  ship,  and  for  a  time  buffeted  bravely  with  the  storm. 
Unluckily,  however,  she  "  broached  to,"  and  was  struck  by  a 
heavy  sea,  that  hove  her  on  her  beam  ends.  The  helm,  too, 
was  knocked  to  leeward,  all  command  of  the  vessel  was  lost, 
and  another  mountain  wave  completely  overset  her.  Orders 
were  given  to  cut  away  the  masts.  In  the  hurry  and  confusion, 
the  boats  also  were  unfortunately  cut  adrift.  The  wreck  then 
righted,  but  was  a  mere  hulk,  full  of  water,  with  a  heavy  sea 
washing  over  it,  and  all  the  hatches  off.  On  mustering  the 
crew,  one  man  was  missing,  who  was  discovered  below  in  the 
forecastle,  drowned. 

In  cutting  away  the  masts,  it  had  been  utterly  impossible  to 
observe  the  necessary  precaution  of  commencing  with  the  lee 
rigging,  that  being,  from  the  position  of  the  ship,  completely 
under  water.  The  masts  and  spars,  therefore,  being  linked  to 
the  wreck  by  the  shrouds  and  rigging,  remained  alongside  for 
four  days.  Duriiag  all  this  time,  the  ship  lay  rolling  in  the 
trough  of  the  sea,  the  heavy  surges  breaking  over  her,  and  the 
spars  heaving  and  banging  to  and  fro,  bruising  the  half-drowned 


236  DISTRESS    OP   THE    CHEW. 

sailors  that  clung  to  the  bowsprit  and  the  stumps  of  the  masts. 
The  sufferings  of  these  poor  fellows  were  intolerable.  They 
stood  to  their  waists  in  water,  in  imminent  peril  of  being 
washed  off  by  every  surge.  In  this  position  they  dared  not 
sleep,  lest  they  should  let  go  their  hold  and  be  swept  away. 
The  only  dry  place  on  the  wreck  was  the  bowsprit.  Here 
they  took  turns  to  be  tied  on,  for  half  an  hour  at  a  time,  and  in 
this  way  gained  short  snatches  of  sleep. 

On  the  14th,  the  first  mate  died  at  his  post,  and  was  swept 
off  by  the  surges.  On  the  17th,  two  seamen,  faint  and  ex 
hausted,  were  washed  overboard.  The  next  wave  threw  their 
bodies  back  upon  the  deck,  where  they  remained,  swashing 
backward  and  forward,  ghastly  objects  to  the  almost  perishing 
survivors.  Mr.  Ogden,  the  supercargo,  who  was  at  the  bow 
sprit,  called  to  the  men  nearest  to  the  bodies,  to  fasten  them  to 
the  wreck ;  as  a  last  horrible  resource  in  case  of  being  driven 
to  extremity  by  famine ! 

On  the  17th,  the  gale  gradually  subsided,  and  the  sea  be 
came  calm.  The  sailors  now  crawled  feebly  about  the  wreck, 
and  began  to  relieve  it  from  the  main  incumbrances.  The 
spars  were  cleared  away,  the  anchors  and  guns  heaved  over 
board  ;  the  spritsail  yard  was  rigged  for  a  jurymast,  and  a 
mizen  topsail  set  upon  it.  A  sort  of  stage  was  made  of  a  few 
broken  spars,  on  which  the  Crew  were  raised  above  the  surface 
of  the  water,  so  as  to  be  enabled  to  keep  themselves  dry,  and 
to  sleep  comfortably.  Still  their  sufferings  from  hunger  and 
thirst  were  great ;  but  there  was  a  Sandwich  islander  on  board, 
an  expert  swimmer,  who  found  his  way  into  the  cabin,  and 
occasionally  brought  up  a  few  bottles  of  wine  and  porter,  and 
at  length  got  into  the  run,  and  secured  a  quarter  cask  of  wine. 
A  little  raw  pork  was  likewise  procured,  and  dealt  out  with  a 
sparing  hand.  The  horrors  of  their  situation  were  increased 


SUFFERINGS    OF    THE    CREW.  237 

by  the  sight  of  numerous  sharks  prowling  about  the  wreck,  as 
if  waiting  for  their  prey.  On  the  24th,  the  cook,  a  black  man, 
died  and  was  cast  into  the  sea,  when  he  was  instantly  seized 
on  by  these  ravenous  monsters. 

They  had  been  several  days  making  slow, headway  under 
their  scanty  sail,  when,  on  the  25th,  they  came  in  sight  of 
land.  It  was  about  fifteen  leagues  distant,  and  they  remained 
two  or  three  days  drifting  along  in  sight  of  it.  On  the  28th, 
they  descried,  to  their  great  transport,  a  canoe  approaching, 
managed  by  natives.  They  came  alongside,  and  brought  a 
most  welcome  supply  of  potatoes.  They  informed  them  that 
the  land  they  had  made  was  one  of  the  Sandwich  islands. 
The  second  mate  and  one  of  the  seamen  went  on  shore  in  the 
canoe  for  water  and  provisions,  and  to  procure  aid  from  the 
islanders  in  towing  the  wreck  into  a  harbor. 

Neither  of  the  men  returned,  nor  was  any  assistance  sent 
from  shore.  The  next  day,  ten  or  twelve  canoes  came  along 
side,  but  roamed  round  the  wreck  like  so  many  sharks,  and 
would  render  no  aid  in  towing  her  to  land. 

The  sea  continued  to  break  over  the  vessel  with  such  vio 
lence,  that  it  was  impossible  to  stand  at  the  helm  without  the 
assistance  of  lashings.  The  crew  were  now  so  worn  down  by 
famine  and  thirst,  that  the  captain  saw  it  would  be  impossible 
for  them  to  withstand  the  breaking  of  the  sea,  when  the  ship 
should  ground;  he  deemed  the  only  chance  for  their  lives, 
therefore,  was  to  get  to  land  in  the  canoes,  and  stand  ready  to 
receive  and  protect  the  wreck  when  she  should  drift  to  shore. 
Accordingly,  they  all  got  safe  to  land,  but  had  scarcely  touched 
the  beach  when  they  were  surrounded  by  the  natives,  who 
stripped  them  almost  naked.  The  name  of  this  inhospitable 
island  was  Tahoorowa. 

In  the  course  of  the  night,  the  wreck  came  drifting  to  the 


238  BARGAIN    WITH    TAMAAHMAAH. 

strand,  with  the  surf  thundering  around  her,  and  shortly  after 
wards  bilged.  On  the  following  morning,  numerous  casks  of 
provisions  floated  on  shore.  The  natives  staved  them  for  the 
sake  of  the  iron  hoops,  but  would  not  allow  the  crew  to  help 
themselves  to  the  contents,  or  to  go  on  board  of  the  wreck. 

As  the  crew  were  in  want  of  every  thing,  and  as  it  might  be 
a  long  time  before  any  opportunity  occurred  for  them  to  get 
away  from  these  islands,  Mr.  Ogden,  as  soon  as  he  could  get 
a  chance,  made  his  way  to  the  island  of  Owyhee,  and  endea 
vored  to  make  some  arrangement  with  the  king  for  the  relief 
of  his  companions  in  misfortune. 

The  illustrious  Tamaahmaah,  as  we  have  shown  on  a  former 
occasion,  was  a  shrewd  bargainer,  and  in  the  present  instance 
proved  himself  an  experienced  wrecker.  His  negotiations 
with  M'Dougal,  and  the  other  "  Eris  of  the  great  American  Fur 
Company,"  had  but  little  effect  on  present  circumstances,  and 
he  proceeded  to  avail  himself  of  their  misfortunes.  He  agreed 
to  furnish  the  crew  with  provisions  during  their  stay  in  his 
territories,  and  to  return  to  them  all  their  clothing  that  could 
be  found,  but  he  stipulated  that  the  wreck  should  be  abandoned 
to  him  as  a  waif  cast  by  fortune  on  his  shores.  With  these 
conditions  Mr.  Ogden  was  fain  to  comply.  Upon  this  the 
great  Tamaahmaah  deputed  his  favorite,  John  Young,  the  tar- 
pawlin  governor  of  Owyhee,  to  proceed  with  a  number  of  the 
royal  guards,  and  take  possession  of  the  wreck  on  behalf  of 
the  crown.  This  was  done  accordingly,  and  the  property  and 
crew  were  removed  to  Owyhee.  The  royal  bounty  appears  to 
have  been  but  scanty  in  its  dispensations.  The  crew  fared 
but  meagerly ;  though,  on  reading  the  journal  of  the  voyage,  it 
is  singular  to  find  them,  after  all  the  hardships  they  had  suf 
fered,  so  sensitive  about  petty  inconveniences,  as  to  exclaim 
against  the  king  as  a  "  savage  monster,"  for  refusing  them  a 


MR.    HUNT    SAILS    FOR    ASTORIA.  239 

"  pot  to  cook  in,"  and  denying  Mr.  Ogden  the  use  of  a  knife 
and  fork  which  had  been  saved  from  the  wreck. 

Such  was  the  unfortunate  catastrophe  of  the  Lark ;  had  she 
reached  her  destination  in  safety,  affairs  at  Astoria  might  have 
taken  a  different  course.  A  strange  fatality  seems  to  have 
attended  all  the  expeditions  by  sea,  nor  were  those  by  land 
much  less  disastrous. 

Captain  Northrop  was  still  at  the  Sandwich  islands,  on  De 
cember  20th,  when  Mr.  Hunt  arrived.  The  latter  immediately 
purchased,  for  ten  thousand  dollars,  a  brig  called  the  Pedlar, 
and  put  Captain  Northrop  in  command  of  her.  They  set  sail 
for  Astoria  on  the  22d  January,  intending  to  remove  the  pro 
perty  from  thence  as  speedily  as  possible  to  the  Russian  settle 
ments  on  the  north-west  coast,  to  prevent  it  from  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  British.  Such  were  the  orders  of  Mr.  Astor, 
sent  out  by  the  Lark. 

We  will  now  leave  Mr.  Hunt  on  his  voyage,  and  return  to 
see  what  has  taken  place  at  Astoria  during  his  absence. 

*  BraB.db  ury.     P.  6 
*  Breckenridge. 


240  SQUADRON    OF   NORTH-WESTERS. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

ARRIVAL  OF  M'TAVISH  AT  ASTORIA — CONDUCT  OF  HIS  FOLLOWERS — NE 
GOTIATIONS  OP  M'DOUGAL  AND  M'TAVISH BARGAIN  FOR   THE   TRANSFER 

OF  ASTORIA — DOUBTS  ENTERTAINED  OF  THE  LOYALTY  OF  M'DOUGAL. 

ON  the  2d  of  October,  about  five  weeks  after  Mr.  Hunt  had 
sailed  in  the  Albatross  from  Astoria,  Mr.  M'Kenzie  set  off 
with  two  canoes,  and  twelve  men,  for  the  posts  of  Messrs. 
Stuart  and  Clarke,  to  apprize  them  of  the  new  arrangements 
determined  upon  in  the  recent  conference  of  the  partners  at 
the  factory. 

He  had  not  ascended  the  river  a  hundred  miles,  when  he 
met  a  squadron  of  ten  canoes,  sweeping  merrily  down  under 
British  colors,  the  Canadian  oarsmen,  as  usual,  in  full  song. 

It  was  an  armament  fitted  out  by  M'Tavish,  wlio  had  with 
him  Mr.  J.  Stuart,  another  partner  of  the  Nortn-west  Company, 
together  with  some  clerks,  and  sixty  eight  men — seventy-five 
souls  in  all.  They  had  heard  of  the  frigate  Phoebe  and  the 
Isaac  Todd  being  on  the  high  seas,  and  were  on  their  way 
down  to  await  their  arrival.  In  one  of  the  canoes  Mr.  Clarke 
came  passenger,  the  alarming  intelligence  having  brought 
him  down  from  his  post  on  the  Spokan.  Mr.  M'Kenzie  im 
mediately  determined  to  return  with  him  to  Astoria,  and,  veer 
ing  about,  the  two  parties  encamped  together  for  the  night. 
The  leaders,  of  course,  observed  a  due  decorum;  but  some 


ARRIVAL    AT    ASTORIA.  241 

of  the  subalterns  could  not  restrain  their  chuckling  exulta 
tion,  boasting  that  they  would  soon  plant  the  British  standard 
on  the  walls  of  Astoria,  and  drive  the  Americans  out  of  the 
country. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  Mr.  M'Kenzie  had  a  secret 
conference  with  Mr.  Clarke,  in  which  they  agreed  to  set  off 
privately,  before  daylight,  and  get  down  in  time  to  apprize 
M'Dougal  of  the  approach  of  these  North-westers.  The  latter, 
however,  were  completely  on  the  alert ;  just  as  M'Kenzie's 
canoes  were  about  to  push  off,  they  were  joined  by  a  couple 
from  the  north-west  squadron,  in  which  was  M'Tavish,  with 
two  clerks,  and  eleven  men.  With  these,  he  intended  to  push 
forward  and  make  arrangements,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  con 
voy,  in  which  was  a  large  quantity  of  furs,  to  await  his  orders. 

The  two  parties  arrived  at  Astoria  on  the  7th  of  October. 
The  North-westers  encamped  under  the  guns  of  the  fort,  and 
displayed  the  British  colors.  The  young  men  in  the  fort, 
natives  of  the  United  States,  were  on  the  point  of  hoisting 
the  American  flag,  but  were  forbidden  by  Mr.  M'Dougal. 
They  were  astonished  at  such  a  prohibition,  and  were  exceed 
ingly  galled  by  the  tone  and  manner  assumed  by  the  clerks 
and  retainers  of  the  North-west  Company,  who  ruffled  about 
in  that  swelling  and  braggart  style  which  grows  up  among 
these  heroes  of  the  wilderness ;  they,  in  fact,  considered  them 
selves  lords  of  the  ascendant,  and  regarded  the  hampered  and 
harassed  Astorians  as  a  conquered  people. 

On  the  following  day  M'Dougal  convened  the  clerks,  and 
read  to  them  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  his  uncle,  Mr.  Angus 
Shaw,  one  of  the  principal  partners  of  the  North-west  Com 
pany,  announcing  the  coming  of  the  Phoebe  and  Isaac  Todd, 
"  to  take  and  destroy  every  thing  American  on  the  north-west 

coast." 

VOL.  n.  21 


242  BARGAIN    WITH    THE    NORTH-WESTERS. 

This  intelligence  was  received  without  dismay  by  such  of 
the  clerks  as  were  natives  of  the  United  States.  They  had 
felt  indignant  at  seeing  their  national  flag  struck  by  a  Canadian 
commander,  and  the  British  flag  flowed,  as  it  were,  in  their 
faces.  They  had  been  stung  to  the  quick,  also,  by  the  vaunt 
ing  airs  assumed  by  the  North-westers.  In  this  mood  of  mind, 
they  would  willingly  have  nailed  their  colors  to  the  staff,  and 
defied  the  frigate.  She  could  not  come  within  many  miles 
of  the  fort,  they  observed,  and  any  boats  she  might  send  could 
be  destroyed  by  their  cannon. 

There  were  cooler  and  more  calculating  spirits,  however, 
who  had  the  control  of  affairs,  and  felt  nothing  of  the  patriotic 
pride  and  indignation  of  these  youths.  The  extract  of  the 
letter  had,  apparently,  been  read  by  M'Dougal,  merely  to  pre 
pare  the  way  for  a  preconcerted  stroke  of  management.  On 
that  same  day  Mr.  M'Tavish  proposed  to  purchase  the  whole 
stock  of  goods  and  furs  belonging  to  the  company,  both  at 
Astoria  and  in  the  interior,  at  cost  and  charges.  Mr.  M'Dougal 
undertook  to  comply ;  assuming  the  whole  management  of  the 
negotiation  in  virtue  of  the  power  vested  in  him,  in  case  of  the 
non-arrival  of  Mr.  Hunt.  That  power,  however,  was  limited 
and  specific,  and  did  not  extend  to  an  operation  of  this  nature 
and  extent ;  no  objection,  however,  was  made  to  his  assump 
tion,  and  he  and  M'Tavish  soon  made  a  preliminary  arrange 
ment,  perfectly  satisfactory  to  the  latter. 

Mr.  Stuart,  and  the  reserve  party  of  North-westers,  arrived 
shortly  afterwards,  and  encamped  with  M'Tavish.  The  former 
exclaimed  loudly  against  the  terms  of  the  arrangement,  and 
insisted  upon  a  reduction  of  the  prices.  New  negotiations  had 
now  to  be  entered  into.  The  demands  of  the  North-westers 
were  made  in  a  peremptory  tone,  and  they  seemed  disposed 
to  dictate  like  conquerors.  The  Americans  looked  on  with 


CONDUCT  OF  M'DOUGAL.          243 

indignation  and  impatience.  They  considered  M'Dougal  as 
acting,  if  not  a  perfidious,  certainly  a  craven  part.  He  was 
continually  repairing  to  the  camp  to  negotiate,  instead  of  keep 
ing  within  his  walls  and  receiving  overtures  in  his  fortress. 
His  case,  they  observed,  was  not  so  desperate  as  to  excuse 
such  crouching.  He  might,  in  fact,  hold  out  for  his  own 
terms.  The  north-west  party  had  lost  their  ammunition  ;  they 
had  no  goods  to  trade  with  the  natives  for  provisions ;  and 
were  so  destitute  that" M'Dougal  had  absolutely  to  feed  them, 
while  he  negotiated  with  them.  He,  on  the  contrary,  was 
well  lodged  and  victualled ;  had  sixty  men,  with  arms,  ammuni 
tion,  boats,  and  every  thing  requisite  either  for  defence  or 
retreat.  The  party,  beneath  the  guns  of  his  fort,  were  at  his 
mercy ;  should  an  enemy  appear  in  the  offing,  he  could  pack 
up  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  property  and  retire  to  some 
place  of  concealment,  or  make  off  for  the  interior. 

These  considerations,  however,  had  no  weight  with  Mr. 
M'Dougal,  or  were  overruled  by  other  motives.  The  terms 
of  sale  were  lowered  by  him  to  the  standard  fixed  by  Mr. 
Stuart,  and  an  agreement  executed  on  the  16th  of  October, 
by  which  the  furs  and  merchandise  of  all  kinds  in  the 
country,  belonging  to  Mr.  Astor,  passed  into  the  possession 
of  the  North-west  Company  at  about  a  third  of  their  real 
value.*  A  safe  passage  through  the  north-west  posts  was 

*  Not  quite  $40,000  were  allowed  for  furs  worth  upwards  of  $100,000. 
Beaver  was  valued  at  two  dollars  per  skin,  though  worth  five  dollars.  Land 
otter  at  fifty  cents,  though  worth  five  dollars.  Sea  otter  at  twelve  dollars, 
worth  from  forty-five  to  sixty  dollars ;  and  for  several  kinds  of  furs  nothing 
was  allowed.  Moreover,  the  goods  and  merchandise  for  the  Indian  trade 
ought  to  have  brought  three  times  the  amount  for  which  they  were  sold. 

The  following  estimate  has  been  made  of  the  articles  on  hand,  and  the 
prices : — 

17,705  Ibs.  beaver  parchment,      valued  at     $2,00    worth      $5,00 
465  old  coat  beaver,        .        .         "     "        1,66        "  3,50 


244 


TRANSFER  OF  THE  PROPERTY. 


guaranteed  to  such  as  did  not  choose  to  enter  into  the  service 
of  that  company,  and  the  amount  of  wages  due  to  them  was 
to  be  deducted  from  the  price  paid  for  Astoria. 

The  conduct  and  motives  of  Mr.  M'Dougal,  throughout  the 
whole  of  this  proceeding,  have  been  strongly  questioned  by  the 
other  partners.  He  has  been  accused  of  availing  himself  of 
a  wrong  construction  of  powers  vested  in  him  at  his  own 
request,  and  of  sacrificing  the  interests  of  Mr.  Astor  to  the 
North-west  Company,  under  the  promise  or  hope  of  advantage 
to  himself. 

He  always  insisted,  however,  that  he  made  the  best  bargain 
for  Mr.  Astor  that  circumstances  would  permit;  the  frigate 
being  hourly  expected,  in  which  case  the  whole  property  of 
that  gentleman  would  be  liable  to  capture.  That  the  return 
of  Hr.  Hunt  was  problematical ;  the  frigate  intending  to  cruise 
along  the  coast  for  two  years,  and  clear  it  of  all  American 
vessels.  He  moreover  averred,  and  M'Tavish  corroborated 
his  averment  by  certificate,  that  he  proposed  an  arrangement 
to  that  gentleman,  by  which  the  furs  were  to  be  sent  to  Canton, 
and  sold  there  at  Mr.  Astor's  risk,  and  for  his  account ;  but  the 
proposition  was  not  acceded  to. 

Notwithstanding  all  his  representations,  several  of  the  per 
sons  present  at  the  transaction,  and  acquainted  with  the  whole 


907  land  otter, 
68  sea  otter, 
30  "      " 

Nothing  was  allowed  for 
179  mink  skins, 
22  raccoon, 
38  lynx, 
18  fox, 
106  " 

71  black  bear, 
16  grizzly  bear, 


valued  at 


worth  each 


,50 

worth       $5,00 

12,00 

"  45  to  60,00 

5,00 

"            25,00 

. 

.        .          ,40 

. 

,40 

. 

2,00 

. 

1,00 

. 

1,50 

. 

4,00 

. 

.       10,00 

OPINION    OF    MR.    ASTOR.  245 

course  of  the  affair,  arid  among  the  number  Mr.  M'Kenzie  him 
self,  his  occasional  coadjutor,  remained  firm  in  the  belief  that 
he  had  acted  a  hollow  part.  Neither  did  he  succeed  in  excul 
pating  himself  to  Mr.  Astor  ;  that  gentleman  declaring,  in  a 
letter  written  some  time  afterwards,  to  Mr.  Hunt,  that  he  con 
sidered  the  property  virtually  given  away.  "  Had  our  place 
and  our  property,"  he  adds,  "  been  fairly  captured,  I  should 
have  preferred  it.  I  should  not  feel  as  if  I  were  disgraced." 

All  these  may  be  unmerited  suspicions  ;  but  it  certainly  is  a 
circumstance  strongly  corroborative  of  them,  that  Mr.  M'Dougal, 
shortly  after  concluding  this  agreement,  became  a  member  of 
the  North-west  Company,  and  received  a  share  productive 
of  a  handsome  income. 


21* 


246  ARRIVAL    OF    A    SAIL    AT    ASTORIA. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

ARRIVAL  OF  A  STRANGE  SAIL — AGITATION  AT  ASTORIA — WARLIKE  OFFER 
OF  CoMCOMLY ASTORIA  TAKEN  POSSESSION  OF  BY  THE  BRITISH IN 
DIGNATION  OF  COMCOMLY  AT  THE  CONDUCT  OF  HIS  SON-IN-LAW. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  30th  of  November,  a  sail  was  descried 
doubling  Cape  Disappointment.  It  came  to  anchor  in  Baker's 
bay,  and  proved  to  be  a  ship  of  war.  Of  what  nation  ?  was 
now  the  anxious  inquiry.  If  English,  why  did  it  come  alone  ? 
where  was  the  merchant  vessel  that  was  to  have  accompanied 
it  ?  If  American,  what  was  to  become  of  the  newly  acquired 
possession  of  the  North-west  Company  ? 

In  this  dilemma,  M'Tavish,  in  all  haste,  loaded  two  barges 
with  all  the  packages  of  furs  bearing  the  mark  of  the  North 
west  Company,  and  made  off  for  Tongue  point,  three  miles 
up  the  river.  There  he  was  to  await  a  preconcerted  signal 
from  M'Dougal,  on  ascertaining  the  character  of  the  ship. 
If  it  should  prove  American,  M'Tavish  would  have  a  fair 
start,  and  could  bear  off  his  rich  cargo  to  the  interior.  It  is 
singular  that  this  prompt  mode  of  conveying  valuable,  but 
easily  transportable  effects,  beyond  the  reach  of  a  hostile  ship, 
should  not  have  suggested  itself  while  the  property  belonged 
to  Mr.  Astor. 

In  the  meantime,  M'Dougal,  who  still  remained  nominal 
chief  at  the  fort,  launched  a  canoe,  manned  by  men  recently 


THE    RACOON    SLOOP    OF    WAR.  247 

in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  and  steered  for 
the  ship.  On  the  way,  he  instructed  his  men  to  pass  them 
selves  for  Americans  or  Englishmen,  according  to-  the  exigen 
cies  of  the  case. 

The  vessel  proved  to  be  the  British  sloop  of  war  Racoon, 
of  twenty-six  guns,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  com 
manded  by  Captain  Black.  According  to  the  account  of  that 
officer,  the  frigate  Phoebe,  and  the  two  sloops  of  war  Cherub 
and  Racoon,  had  sailed  in  convoy  of  the  Isaac  Todd  from 
Rio  Janeiro.  On  board  of  the  Phoebe,  Mr.  John  M'Donald, 
a  partner  of  the  North-west  Company,  embarked  as  passenger, 
to  profit  by  the  anticipated  catastrophe  at  Astoria.  The  con 
voy  was  separated  by  stress  of  weather  off  Cape  Horn.  The 
three  shipe  of  war  came  together  again  at  the  island  of  Juan 
Fernandez,  their  appointed  rendezvous,  but  waited  in  vain  for 
the  Isaac  Todd. 

In  the  meantime,  intelligence  was  received  of  the  mischief 
that  Commodore  Porter  was  doing  among  the  British  whale 
ships.  Commodore  Hillyer  immediately  set  sail  in  quest  of  him, 
with  the  Phoebe  and  the  Cherub,  transferring  Mr.  M'Donald 
to  the  Racoon,  and  ordering  that  vessel  to  proceed  to  the 
Columbia. 

The  officers  of  the  Racoon  were  in  high  spirits.  The 
agents  of  the  North-west  Company,  in  instigating  the  expedi 
tion,  had  talked  of  immense  booty  to  be  made  by  the  fortunate 
captors  of  Astoria.  Mr.  M'Donald  had  kept  up  the  excitement 
during  the  voyage,  so  that  not  a  midshipman  but  revelled  in 
dreams  of  ample  prize-money,  nor  a  lieutenant  that  would 
have  sold  his  chance  for  a  thousand  pounds.  Their  disap 
pointment,  therefore,  may  easily  be  conceived,  when  they 
learned  that  their  warlike  attack  upon  Astoria  had  been  fore 
stalled  by  a  snug  commercial  arrangement ;  that  their  antici- 


248  INDIAN    PREPARATIONS. 

pated  booty  had  become  British  property  in  the  regular  course 
of  traffic,  and  that  all  this  had  been  effected  by  the  very 
company  which  had  been  instrumental  in  getting  them  sent 
on  what  they  now  stigmatized  as  a  fool's  errand.  They  felt 
•as  if  they  had  been  duped  and  made  tools  of,  by  a  set  of 
shrewd  men  of  traffic,  who  had  employed  them  to  crack  the 
nut,  while  they  carried  off  the  kernel.  In  a  word,  M'Dougal 
found  himself  so  ungraciously  received  by  his  countrymen  on 
board  of  the  ship,  that  he  was  glad  to  cut  short  his  visit,  and 
return  to  shore.  He  was  busy  at  the  fort,  making  prepara 
tions  for  the  reception  of  the  captain  of  the  Racoon,  when  his 
one-eyed  Indian  father-in-law  made  his  appearance,  with  a 
train  of  Chinook  warriors,  all  painted  and  equipped  in  war 
like  style. 

Old  Comcomly  had  beheld,  with  dismay,  the  arrival  of  a 
"big  war  canoe"  displaying  the  British  flag.  The  shrewd 
old  savage  had  become  something  of  a  politician  in  the  course 
of  his  daily  visits  at  the  fort.  He  knew  of  the  war  existing 
between  the  nations,  but  knew  nothing  of  the  arrangement 
between  M'Dougal  and  M'Tavish.  He  trembled,  therefore, 
for  the  power  of  his  white  son-in-law,  and  the  new  fledged 
grandeur  of  his  daughter,  and  assembled  his  warriors  in  all 
haste.  "King  George,"  said  he,  "has  sent  his  great  canoe 
to  destroy  the  fort,  and  make  slaves  of  all  the  inhabitants. 
Shall  we  suffer  it  ?  The  Americans  are  the  first  white  men 
that  have  fixed  themselves  in  the  land.  They  have  treated 
us  like  brothers.  Their  great  chief  has  taken  my  daughter 
to  be  his  squaw :  we  are,  therefore,  as  one  people." 

His  warriors  all  determined  to  stand  by  the  Americans  to 
the  last,  and  to  this  effect  they  came  painted  and  armed  for 
battle.  Comcomly  made  a  spirited  war  speech  to  his  son-in- 
law.  He  offered  to  kill  every  one  of  King  George's  men  that 


LANDING  OF  CAPT.  BLACK.  249 

should  attempt  to  land.  It  was  an  easy  matter.  The  ship 
could  not  approach  within  six  miles  of  the  fort ;  the  crew 
could  only  land  in  boats.  The  woods  reached  to  the  water's 
edge ;  in  these,  he  and  his  warriors  would  conceal  them 
selves,  and  shoot  down  the  enemy  as  fast  as  they  put  foot  on 
shore. 

M'Dougal  was,  doubtless,  properly  sensible  of  this  parental 
devotion  on  the  part  of  his  savage  father-in-law,  and  perhaps 
a  little  rebuked  by  the  game  spirit,  so  opposite  to  his  own. 
He  assured  Comcomly,  however,  that  his  solicitude  for  the 
safety  of  himself  and  the  princess  was  superfluous  ;  as,  though 
the  ship  belonged  to  King  George,  her  crew  would  not  injure 
the  Americans,  or  their  Indian  allies.  He  advised  him  and 
his  warriors,  therefore,  to  lay  aside  their  weapons  and  war 
shirts,  wash  off  the  paint  from  their  faces  and  bodies,  and 
appear  like  clean  and  civil  savages,  to  receive  the  strangers 
courteously. 

Comcomly  was  sorely  puzzled  at  this  advice,  which  ac 
corded  so  little  with  his  Indian  notions  of  receiving  a  hostile 
nation  ;  and  it  was  only  after  repeated  and  positive  assurances 
of  the  amicable  intentions  of  the  strangers  that  he  was  induced 
to  lower  his  fighting  tone.  He  said  something  to  his  warriors 
explanatory  of  this  singular  posture  of  affairs,  and  in  vindica 
tion,  perhaps,  of  the  pacific  temper  of  his  son-in-law.  They 
all  gave  a  shrug  and  an  Indian  grunt  of  acquiescence,  and 
went  off  sulkily  to  their  village,  to  lay  aside  their  weapons 
for  the  present. 

The  proper  arrangements  being  made  for  the  reception  of 
Captain  Black,  that  officer  caused  his  ship's  boats  to  be  man 
ned,  and  landed  with  befitting  state  at  Astoria.  From  the  talk 
that  had  been  made  by  the  North-west  Company,  of  the 
strength  of  the  place,  and  the  armament  they  had  required  to 


250  HE    TAKES    POSSESSION    OF   ASTORIA. 

assist  in  its  reduction,  he  expected  to  find  a  fortress  of  some 
importance.  When  he  beheld  nothing  but  stockades  and 
bastions,  calculated  for  defence  against  naked  savages,  he  felt 
an  emotion  of  indignant  surprise,  mingled  with  something  of 
the  ludicrous.  "  Is  this  the  fort,"  cried  he,  "  about  which  I 
have  heard  so  much  talking  ?  D — n  me,  but  I'd  batter  it  down 
in  two  hours,  with  a  four  pounder !" 

When  he  learned,  however,  the  amount  of  rich  furs  that  had 
been  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  North-westers,  he  was  out 
rageous,  and  insisted  that  an  inventory  should  be  taken  of  all 
the  property  purchased  of  the  Americans,  "with  a  view  to 
ulterior  measures  in  England,  for  the  recovery  of  the  value 
from  the  North-west  Company." 

As  he  grew  cool,  however,  he  gave  over  all  idea  of  pre 
ferring  such  a  claim,  and  reconciled  himself,  as  well  as  he 
could,  to  the  idea  of  having  been  forestalled  by  his  bargaining 
coadjutors. 

On  the  12th  of  December,  the  fate  of  Astoria  was  consum 
mated  by  a  regular  ceremonial.  Captain  Black,  attended  by 
his  officers,  entered  the  fort,  caused  the  British  standard  to 
be  erected,  broke  a  bottle  of  wine,  and  declared,  in  a  loud 
voice,  that  he  took  possession  of  the  establishment  and  of  the 
country,  in  the  name  of  his  Britannic  majesty,  changing  the 
name  of  Astoria  to  that  of  Fort  George. 

The  Indian  warriors,  who  had  offered  their  services  to  repel 
the  strangers,  were  present  on  this  occasion.  It  was  explained 
to  them  as  being  a  friendly  arrangement  and  transfer,  but  they 
shook  their  heads  grimly,  and  considered  it  an  act  of  subjuga 
tion  of  their  ancient  allies.  They  regretted  that  they  had 
complied  with  M'Dougal's  wishes,  in  laying  aside  their  arms, 
and  remarked,  that,  however  the  Americans  might  conceal  the 
fact,  they  were  undoubtedly  all  slaves ;  nor  could  they  be 


MORTIFICATION    OF    COMCOMLY.  251 

persuaded  of  the  contrary,  until  they  beheld  the  Racoon  depart 
without  taking  away  any  prisoners. 

As  to  Comcomly,  he  no  longer  prided  himself  upon  his 
white  son-in-law,  but,  whenever  he  was  asked  about  him, 
shook  his  head,  and  replied,  that  his  daughter  had  made  a 
mistake,  and,  instead  of  getting  a  great  warrior  for  a  husband, 
had  married  herself  to  a  squaw. 


252      ARRIVAL  OF  MR.  HUNT  IN  THE  PEDLAR. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

ARRIVAL  or  THE  BRIO  PKDLAB  AT  ASTORIA — BREAKING  UP  OF  THE  ESTAB 
LISHMENT DEPARTURE  OF  SEVERAL    OF  THE    COMPANY TRAGICAL    STORY 

TOLD  BY  THE  SQUAW  OF  PlERRE  DoRION FATE  OF  REED  AND  HIS  COM 
PANIONS ATTEMPTS  OF  MR.  AsTOR  TO  RENEW  HIS  ENTERPRISE DISAP 
POINTMENT CONCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS  AND  REFLECTIONS. 

HAVING  given  the  catastrophe  at  the  fort  of  Astoria,  it  remains 
now  but  to  gather  up  a  few  loose  ends  of  this  widely  excursive 
narrative,  and  conclude.  On  the  28th  of  February,  the  brig 
Pedlar  anchored  in  Columbia  river.  It  will  be  recollected  that 
Mr.  Hunt  had  purchased  this  vessel  at  the  Sandwich  islands, 
to  take  off  the  furs  collected  at  the  factory,  and  to  restore  the 
Sandwich  islanders  to  their  homes.  When  that  gentleman 
learned,  however,  the  precipitate  and  summary  manner  in  which 
the  property  had  been  bargained  away  by  Mr.  M'Dougal,  he 
expressed  his  indignation  in  the  strongest  terms,  and  deter 
mined  to  make  an  effort  to  get  back  the  furs.  As  soon  as  his 
wishes  were  known  in  this  respect,  M'Dougal  came  to  sound 
him  on  behalf  of  the  North-west  Company,  intimating  that  he 
had  no  doubt  the  peltries  might  be  repurchased  at  an  advance 
of  fifty  per  cent.  This  overture  was  not  calculated  to  sooth 
the  angry  feelings  of  Mr.  Hunt,  and  his  indignation  was  com 
plete,  when  he  discovered  that  M'Dougal  had  become  a  partner 
of  the  North-west  Company,  and  had  actually  been  so  since 
the  23d  of  December.  He  had  kept  his  partnership  a  secret, 


HE    CLOSES    THE    BUSINESS    AT    ASTORIA.  253 

however ;  had  retained  the  papers  of  the  Pacific  Fur  Company 
in  his  possession  ;  and  had  continued  to  act  as  Mr.  Astor's 
agent,  though  two  of  the  partners  of  the  other  company,  Mr. 
M'Kenzie  and  Mr.  Clarke,  were  present.  He  had,  moreover, 
divulged  to  his  new  associates  all  that  he  knew  as  to  Mr. 
Astor's  plans  and  affairs,  and  had  made  copies  of  his  business 
letters  for  their  perusal. 

Mr.  Hunt  now  considered  the  whole  conduct  of  M'Dougal 
hollow  and  collusive.  His  only  thought  was,  therefore,  to  get 
all  the  papers  of  the  concern  out  of  his  hands,  and  bring  the 
business  to  a  close  ;  for  the  interests  of  Mr.  Astor  were  yet 
completely  at  stake :  the  drafts  of  the  North-west  Company 
in  his  favor,  for  the  purchase  money,  not  having  yet  been 
obtained.  With  some  difficulty  he  succeeded  in  getting  pos 
session  of  the  papers.  The  bills  or  drafts  were  delivered 
without  hesitation.  The  latter  he  remitted  to  Mr.  Astor  by 
some  of  his  associates,  who  were  about  to  cross  the  continent 
to  New  York.  This  done,  he  embarked  on  board  the  Pedlar, 
on  the  3d  of  April,  accompanied  by  two  of  the  clerks,  Mr. 
Seton  and  Mr.  Halsey,  and  bade  a  final  adieu  to  Astoria. 

The  next  day,  April  4th,  Messrs.  Clarke,  M'Kenzie,  David 
Stuart,  and  such  of  the  Astorians  as  had  not  entered  into  the 
service  of  the  North-west  Company,  set  out  to  cross  the 
Rocky  mountains.  It  is  not  our  intention  to  take  the  reader 
another  journey  across  those  rugged  barriers  ;  but  we  will  step 
forward  with  the  travellers  to  a  distance  on  their  way,  merely 
to  relate  their  interview  with  a  character  already  noted  in  this 
work. 

As  the  party  were  proceeding  up  the  Columbia,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Wallah-Wallah  river,  several  Indian  canoes  put 
off  from  the  shore  to  overtake  them,  and  a  voice  called  upon 

them  in  French,  and  requested  them  to  stop.     They  accord- 
VOL.  n.  22 


254  STORY    OF   JOHN    KEED    AND   HIS    PARTY. 

ingly  put  to  shore,  and  were  joined  by  those  in  the  canoes. 
To  their  surprise,  they  recognised  in  the  person  who  had 
hailed  them  the  Indian  wife  of  Pierre  Dorion,  accompanied  by 
her  two  children.  She  had  a  story  to  tell,  involving  the  fate 
of  several  of  our  unfortunate  adventurers. 

Mr.  John  Reed,  the  Hibernian,  it  will  be  remembered,  had 
been  detached  during  the  summer  to  the  Snake  river.  His 
party  consisted  of  four  Canadians,  Gilles  Le  Clerc,  Francois 
Landry,  Jean  Baptiste  Turcot,  and  Andre  La  Chapelle,  togeth 
er  with  two  hunters,  Pierre  Dorion  and  Pierre  Delaunay  ; 
Dorion,  as  usual,  being  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  children. 
The  objects  of  this  expedition  were  twofold :  to  trap  beaver, 
and  to  search  for  the  three  hunters,  Robinson,  Hoback,  and 
Rezner. 

In  the  course  of  the  autumn,  Reed  lost  one  man,  Landry, 
by  death  ;  another  one,  Pierre  Delaunay,  who  was  of  a  sullen, 
perverse  disposition,  left  him  in  a  moody  fit,  and  was  never 
heard  of  afterwards.  The  number  of  his  party  was  not,  how 
ever,  reduced  by  these  losses,  as  the  three  hunters,  Robinson, 
Hoback,  and  Rezner,  had  joined  it. 

Reed  now  built  a  house  on  the  Snake  river,  for  their  winter 
quarters  ;  which  being  completed,  the  party  set  about  trapping. 
Rezner,  Le  Clerc,  and  Pierre  Dorion,  went  about  five  days' 
journey  from  the  wintering  house,  to  a  part  of  the  country 
well  stocked  with  beaver.  Here  they  put  up  a  hut,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  trap  with  great  success.  While  the  men  were  out 
hunting,  Pierre  Dorion's  wife  remained  at  home  to  dress  the 
skins  and  prepare  the  meals.  She  was  thus  employed  one 
evening  about  the  beginning  of  January,  cooking  the  supper  of 
the  hunters,  when  she  heard  footsteps,  and  Le  Clerc  stagger 
ed,  pale  and  bleeding,  into  the  hut.  He  informed  her  that 
a  party  of  savages  had  surprised  them,  while  at  their  traps, 


INTREPIDITY    OF    PIERRE    DORION's    WIFE.  255 

and  had  killed  Rezner  and  her  husband.  He  had  barely 
strength  left  to  give  this  information,  when  he  sank  upon  the 
ground. 

The  poor  woman  saw  that  the  only  chance  for  life  was 
instant  flight,  but,  in  this  exigency,  showed  that  presence  of 
mind  and  force  of  character  for  which  she  had  frequently  been 
noted.  With  great  difficulty,  she  caught  two  of  the  horses 
belonging  to  the  party.  Then  collecting  her  clothes,  and  a 
small  quantity  of  beaver  meat  and  dried  salmon,  she  packed 
them  upon  one  of  the  horses,  and  helped  the  wounded  man  to 
mount  upon  it.  On  the  other  horse  she  mounted  with  her  two 
children,  and  hurried  away  from  this  dangerous  neighborhood, 
directing  her  flight  for  Mr.  Reed's  establishment.  On  the 
third  day,  she  descried  a  number  of  Indians  on  horseback  pro 
ceeding  in  an  easterly  direction.  She  immediately  dismounted 
with  her  children,  and  helped  Le  Clerc  likewise  to  dismount, 
and  all  concealed  themselves.  Fortunately  they  escaped  the 
sharp  eyes  of  the  savages,  but  had  to  proceed  with  the  utmost 
caution.  That  night,  they  slept  without  fire  or  water ;  she 
managed  to  keep  her  children  warm  in  her  arms ;  but  before 
morning,  poor  Le  Clerc  died. 

With  the  dawn  of  day,  the  resolute  woman  resumed  her 
course,  and,  on  the  fourth  day,  reached  the  house  of  Mr.  Reed. 
It  was  deserted,  and  all  around  were  marks  of  blood  and  signs 
of  a  furious  massacre.  Not  doubting  that  Mr.  Reed  and  his 
party  had  all  fallen  victims,  she  turned  in  fresh  horror  from 
the  spot.  For  two  days  she  continued  hurrying  forward,  ready 
to  sink  for  want  of  food,  but  more  solicitous  about  her  children 
than  herself.  At  length  she  reached  a  range  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  near  the  upper  part  of  the  Wallah-Wallah  river. 
Here  she  chose  a  wild  lonely  ravine,  as  her  place  of  winter 
refuge. 


256          REVENGE  OF  THE  NEZ  PERCYS. 

She  had  fortunately  a  buffalo  robe  and  three  deer  skins ;  of 
these,  and  of  pine  bark  and  cedar  branches,  she  constructed  a 
rude  wigwam,  which  she  pitched  beside  a  mountain  spring. 
Having  no  other  food,  she  killed  the  two  horses,  and  smoked 
their  flesh.  The  skins  aided  to  cover  her  hut.  Here  she 
dragged  out  the  winter,  with  no  other  company  than  her  two 
children.  Towards  the  middle  of  March,  her  provisions  were 
nearly  exhausted.  She  therefore  packed  up  the  remainder, 
slung  it  on  her  back,  and,  with  her  helpless  little  ones,  set  out 
again  on  her  wanderings.  Crossing  the  ridge  of  mountains, 
she  descended  to  the  banks  of  the  Wallah- Wallah,  and  kept 
along  them  until  she  arrived  where  that  river  throws  itself  into 
the  Columbia.  She  was  hospitably  received  and  entertained 
by  the  Wallah- Wallahs,  and  had  been  nearly  two  weeks  among 
them,  when  the  two  canoes  passed. 

On  being  interrogated,  she  could  assign  no  reason  for  this 
murderous  attack  of  the  savages ;  it  appeared  to  be  perfectly 
wanton  and  unprovoked.  Some  of  the  Astorians  supposed  it 
an  act  of  butchery  by  a  roving  band  of  Blackfeet ;  others,  how 
ever,  and  with  greater  probability  of  correctness,  have  ascribed 
it  to  the  tribe  of  Pierced-nose  Indians,  in  revenge  for  the 
death  of  their  comrade  hanged  by  order -of  Mr.  Clarke.  If  so, 
it  shows  that  these  sudden  and  apparently  wanton  outbreakings 
of  sanguinary  violence  on  the  part  of  savages,  have  often 
some  previous,  though  perhaps  remote,  provocation. 

The  narrative  of  the  Indian  woman  closes  the  checkered 
adventures  of  some  of  the  personages  of  this  motley  story ; 
such  as  the  honest  Hibernian  Reed,  and  Dorion  the  hybred 
interpreter.  Turcot  and  La  Chapelle  were  two  of  the  men 
who  fell  off  from  Mr.  Crooks  in  the  course  of  his  wintry 
journey,  and  had  subsequently  such  disastrous  times  among 
the  Indians.  We  cannot  but  feel  some  sympathy  with  that 


INDIGNATION    OF    MR.  ASTOR.  257 

persevering  trio  of  Kentuckians,  Robinson,  Rezner,  and  Ho- 
back ;  who  twice  turned  back  when  on  their  way  homeward, 
and  lingered  in  the  wilderness  to  perish  by  the  hands  of 
savages. 

The  return  parties  from  Astoria,  both  by  sea  and  land,  ex 
perienced  on  the  way  as  many  adventures,  vicissitudes,  and 
mishaps,  as  the  far-famed  heroes  of  the  Odyssey  ;  they  reached 
their  destination  at  different  times,  bearing  tidings  to  Mr.  Astor 
of  the  unfortunate  termination  of  his  enterprise. 

That  gentleman,  however,  was  not  disposed,  even  yet,  to 
give  the  matter  up  as  lost.  On  the  contrary,  his  spirit  was 
roused  by  what  he  considered  ungenerous  and  unmerited  con 
duct  on  the  part  of  the  North-west  Company.  "  After  their 
treatment  of  me,"  said  he,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Hunt,  "  I  have  no 
idea  of  remaining  quiet  and  idle."  He  determined,  there 
fore,  as  soon  as  circumstances  would  permit,  to  resume  his 
enterprise. 

At  the  return  of  peace,  Astoria,  with  the  adjacent  country, 
reverted  to  the  United  States  by  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  on  the 
principle  of  status  ante  bellum,  and  Captain  Biddle  was  des 
patched  in  the  sloop  of  war  Ontario,  to  take  formal  repos 
session. 

In  the  winter  of  1815,  a  law  was  passed  by  congress, 
prohibiting  all  traffic  of  British  traders  within  the  territories 
of  the  United  States. 

The  favorable  moment  seemed  now  to  Mr.  Astor  to  have 
arrived  for  the  revival  of  his  favorite  enterprise,  but  new 
difficulties  had  grown  up  to  impede  it.  The  North-west 
Company  were  now  in  complete  occupation  of  the  Columbia 
river,  and  its  chief  tributary  streams,  holding  the  posts  which 
he  had  established,  and  carrying  on  a  trade  throughout  the 

neighboring  region,  in   defiance   of  the   prohibitory  law  of 

22* 


253  HIS    APPLICATION    TO    GOVERNMENT. 

congress,  which,    in  effect,  was  a  dead   letter   beyond   the 
mountains. 

To  dispossess  them,  would  be  an  undertaking  of  almost  a 
belligerant  nature ;  for  their  agents  and  retainers  were  well 
armed,  and  skilled  in  the  use  of  weapons,  as  is  usual  with 
Indian  traders.  The  ferocious  and  bloody  contests  which  had 
taken  place  between  the  rival  trading  parties  of  the  North-west 
and  Hudson's  Bay  Companies,  had  shown  what  might  be 
expected  from  commercial  feuds  in  the  lawless  depths  of  the 
wilderness.  Mr.  Astor  did  not  think  it  advisable,  therefore, 
to  attempt  the  matter  without  the  protection  of  the  American 
flag;  under  which  his  people  might  rally  in  case  of  need. 
He  accordingly  made  an  informal  overture  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Madison,  through  Mr.  Gallatin. 
offering  to  renew  his  enterprise,  and  to  re-establish  Astoria, 
provided  it  would  be  protected  by  the  American  flag,  and  made 
a  military  post ;  stating  that  the  whole  force  required  would 
not  exceed  a  lieutenant's  command. 

The  application,  approved  and  recommended  by  Mr.  Gal 
latin,  one  of  the  most  enlightened  statesmen  of  our  country, 
was  favorably  received,  but  no  step  was  taken  in  consequence  ; 
the  president  not  being  disposed,  in  all  probability,  to  commit 
himself  by  any  direct  countenance  or  overt  act.  Discouraged 
by  this  supineness  on  the  part  of  the  government,  Mr.  Astor 
did  not  think  fit  to  renew  his  overtures  in  a  more  formal  man 
ner,  and  the  favorable  moment  for  the  re-occupation  of  Astoria 
was  suffered  to  pass  unimproved. 

The  British  trading  establishments  were  thus  enabled,  with 
out  molestation,  to  strike  deep  their  roots,  and  extend  their 
ramifications,  in  despite  of  the  prohibition  of  congress,  until 
they  had  spread  themselves  over  the  rich  field  of  enterprise 
opened  by  Mr.  Astor.  The  British  government  soon  began 


NEGOTIATIONS    RESPECTING    ASTORIA.  259 

to  perceive  the  importance  of  this  region,  and  to  desire  to 
include  it  within  their  territorial  domains.  A  question  has 
consequently  risen  as  to  the  right  to  the  soil,  and  has  become 
one  of  the  most  perplexing  now  open  between  the  United 
States  and  Great  Britain.  In  the  first  treaty  relative  to  it, 
under  date  of  October  20th,  1818,  the  question  was  left  un 
settled,  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  country  on  the  north-west 
coast  of  America,  westward  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  claimed 
by  either  nation,  should  be  open  to  the  inhabitants  of  both  for 
ten  years,  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  with  the  equal  right  of 
navigating  all  its  rivers.  When  these  ten  years  had  expired, 
a  subsequent  treaty,  in  1828,  extended  the  arrangement  to  ten 
additional  years.  So  the  matter  stands  at  present. 

On  casting  back  our  eyes  over  the  series  of  events  we  have 
recorded,  we  see  no  reason  to  attribute  the  failure  of  this  great 
commercial  undertaking  to  any  fault  in  the  scheme,  or  omis 
sion  in  the  execution  of  it,  on  the  part  of  the  projector.  It 
was  a  magnificent  enterprise ;  well  concerted  and  carried  on, 
without  regard  to  difficulties  or  expense.  A  succession  of 
adverse  circumstances  and  cross  purposes,  however,  beset  it 
almost  from  the  outset ;  some  of  them,  in  fact,  arising  from 
neglect  of  the  orders  and  instructions  of  Mr.  Astor.  The 
first  crippling  blow  was  the  loss  of  the  Tonquin,  which  clearly 
would  not  have  happened,  had  Mr.  Astor's  earnest  injunctions 
with  regard  to  the  natives  been  attended  to.  Had  this  ship 
performed  her  voyage  prosperously,  and  revisited  Astoria  in 
due  time,  the  trade  of  the  establishment  would  have  taken  its 
preconcerted  course,  and  the  spirits  of  all  concerned  been 
kept  up  by  a  confident  prospect  of  success.  Her  dismal 
catastrophe  struck  a  chill  into  every  heart,  and  prepared  the 
way  for  subsequent  despondency. 

Another  cause  of  embarrassment  and  loss  was  the  departure 


260  CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS. 

from  the  plan  of  Mr.  Astor,  as  to  the  voyage  of  the  Beaver, 
subsequent  to  her  visiting  Astoria.  The  variation  from  this 
plan  produced  a  series  of  cross  purposes,  disastrous  to  the 
establishment,  and  detained  Mr.  Hunt  absent  from  his  post, 
when  his  presence  there  was  of  vital  importance  to  the  enter 
prise  ;  so  essential  is  it  for  an  agent,  in  any  great  and  compli 
cated  undertaking,  to  execute  faithfully,  and  to  the  letter,  the 
part  marked  out  for  him  by  the  master  mind  which  has 
concerted  the  whole. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain,  multiplied  the  hazards  and  embarrassments 
of  the  enterprise.  The  disappointment  as  to  convoy,  rendered 
it  difficult  to  keep  up  reinforcements  and  supplies  ;  and  the 
loss  of  the  Lark  added  to  the  tissue  of  misadventures. 

That  Mr.  Astor  battled  resolutely  against  every  difficulty, 
and  pursued  his  course  in  defiance  of  every  loss,  has  been 
sufficiently  shown.  Had  he  been  seconded  by  suitable  agents, 
and  properly  protected  by  government,  the  ultimate  failure  of 
his  plan  might  yet  have  been  averted.  It  was  his  great  mis 
fortune,  that  his  agents  were  not  imbued  with  his  own  spirit. 
Some  had  not  capacity  sufficient  to  comprehend  the  real 
nature  and  extent  of  his  scheme  ;  others  were  alien  in  feeling 
and  interest,  and  had  been  brought  up  in  the  service  of  a  rival 
company.  Whatever  sympathies  they  might  originally  have 
had  with  him,  were  impaired,  if  not  destroyed,  by  the  war. 
They  looked  upon  his  cause  as  desperate,  and  only  considered 
how  they  might  make  interest  to  regain  a  situation  under  their 
former  employers.  The  absence  of  Mr.  Hunt,  the  only  real 
representative  of  Mr.  Astor,  at  the  time  of  the  capitulation 
with  the  North-west  Company,  completed  the  series  of  cross 
purposes.  Had  that  gentleman  been  present,  the  transfer,  in 
all  probability,  would  not  have  taken  place. 


CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS.  261 

It  is  painful,  at  all  times,  to  see  a  grand  and  beneficial 
stroke  of  genius  fail  of  its  aim :  but  we  regret  the  failure  of 
this  enterprise  in  a  national  point  of  view ;  for,  had  it  been 
crowned  with  success,  it  would  have  redounded  greatly  to  the 
advantage  and  extension  of  our  commerce.  The  profits  drawn 
from  the  country  in  question  by  the  British  Fur  Company, 
though  of  ample  amount,  form  no  criterion  by  which  to  judge 
of  the  advantages  that  would  have  arisen  had  it  been  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  citizens  of  the  United  States.  That  company, 
as  has  been  shown,  is  limited  in  the  nature  and  scope  of  its 
operations,  and  can  make  but  little  use  of  the  maritime  faci 
lities  held  out  by  an  emporium  and  a  harbor  on  that  coast.  In 
our  hands,  beside  the  roving  bands  of  trappers  and  traders,  the 
country  would  have  been  explored  and  settled  by  industrious 
husbandmen ;  and  the  fertile  valleys  bordering  its  rivers,  and 
shut  up  among  its  mountains,  would  have  been  made  to  pour 
forth  their  agricultural  treasures  to  contribute  to  the  general 
wealth. 

In  respect  to  commerce,  we  should  have  had  a  line  of  tra 
ding  posts  from  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri  across  the 
Rocky  mountains,  forming  a  high  road  from  the  great  regions 
of  the  west  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  We  should  have  had 
a  fortified  post  and  port  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  com 
manding  the  trade  of  that  river  an^  its  tributaries,  and  of  a 
wide  extent  of  country  and  sea  coast ;  carrying  on  an  active 
and  profitable  commerce  with  the  Sandwich  islands,  and  a 
direct  and  frequent  communication  with  China.  In  a  word, 
Astoria  might  have  realized  the  anticipations  of  Mr.  Astor,  so 
well  understood  and  appreciated  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  gradually 
becoming  a  commercial  empire  beyond  the  mountains,  peopled 
by  "free  and  independent  Americans,  and  linked  with  us  by 
ties  of  blood  and  interest." 


262  CONCLUDING    REFLECTIONS. 

We  repeat,  therefore,  our  sincere  regret,  that  our  govern 
ment  should  have  neglected  the  overture  of  Mr.  Astor,  and 
suffered  the  moment  to  pass  by,  when  full  possession  of  this 
region  might  have  been  taken  quietly,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
and  a  military  post  established,  without  dispute,  at  Astoria. 
Our  statesmen  have  become  sensible,  when  too  late,  of  the 
importance  of  this  measure.  Bills  have  repeatedly  been 
brought  into  Congress  for  the  purpose,  but  without  success ; 
and  our  rightful  possessions  on  that  coast,  as  well  as  our  trade 
on  the  Pacific,  have  no  rallying  point  protected  by  the  national 
flag,  and  by  a  military  force. 

In  the  meantime,  the  second  period  of  ten  years  is  fast 
elapsing.  In  1838,  the  question  of  title  will  again  come  up, 
and  most  probably,  in  the  present  amicable  state  of  our  rela 
tions  with  Great  Britain,  will  be  again  postponed.  Every 
year,  however,  the  litigated  claim  is  growing  in  importance. 
There  is  no  pride  so  jealous  and  irritable  as  the  pride  of 
territory.  As  one  wave  of  emigration  after  another  rolls  into 
the  vast  regions  of  the  west,  and  our  settlements  stretch 
towards  the  Rocky  mountains,  the  eager  eyes  of  our  pioneers 
will  pry  beyond,  and  they  will  become  impatient  of  any  barrier 
or  impediment  in  the  way  of  what  they  consider  a  grand  out 
let  of  our  empire.  Should  any  circumstance,  therefore,  un 
fortunately  occur  to  disturb  the  present  harmony  of  the  two 
nations,  this  ill-adjusted  question,  which  now  lies  dormant,  may 
suddenly  start  up  into  one  of  belligerant  import,  and  Astoria 
become  the  watchword  in  a  contest  for  dominion  on  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


Draught  of  a  petition  to  Congress,  sent  by  Mr.  Astor  in  1812. 

To  the  honorable  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 

States,  in  congress  assembled, 
The  petition  of  the  American  Fur  Company  respectfully  sheweth : 

That  the  trade  with  the  several  Indian  tribes  of  North  America,  has,  for 
many  years  past,  been  almost  exclusively  carried  on  by  the  merchants  of 
Canada ;  who,  having  formed  powerful  and  extensive  associations  for  that 
purpose,  being  aided  by  British  capital,  and  being  encouraged  by  the  favor 
and  protection  of  the  British  government,  could  not  be  opposed,  with  any 
prospect  of  success  by  individuals  of  the  United  States. 

That  by  means  of  the  above  trade,  thus  systematically  pursued,  not  only 
the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States  have  been  deprived  of  commercial  profits 
and  advantages,  to  which  they  appear  to  have  just  and  natural  pretensions, 
but  a  great  and  dangerous  influence  has  been  established  over  the  Indian 
tribes,  difficult  to  be  counteracted,  and  capable  of  being  exerted  at  critical 
periods,  to  the  great  injury  and  annoyance  of  our  frontier  settlements. 

That  in  order  to  obtain  at  least  a  part  of  the  above  trade,  and  more  par 
ticularly  that  which  is  within  the  boundaries  of  the  United  States,  your 
petitioners,  in  the  year  1808,  obtained  an  act  of  incorporation  from  the  state 
of  New  York,  whereby  they  are  enabled,  with  a  competent  capital,  to  carry 
on  the  said  trade  with  the  Indians  in  such  manner  as  may  be  conformable  to 
the  laws  and  regulations  of  the  United  States,  in  relation  to  such  commerce. 

That  the  capital  mentioned  in  the  said  act,  amounting  to  one  million  of 
dollars,  having  been  duly  formed,  your  petitioners  entered  with  zeal  and 
alacrity  into  those  large  and  important  arrangements,  which  were  necessary 
for,  or  conducive  to,  the  object  of  their  incorporation ;  and,  among  other  things, 
purchased  a  great  part  of  the  stock  in  trade,  and  trading  establishments,  of 
the  Michilimackinac  Company  of  Canada. — Your  petitioners  also,  with  the 
expectation  of  great  public  and  private  advantage  from  the  use  of  the  said 
establishments,  ordered,  during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1810,  an  assort- 
VOL.  n.  23 


266  APPENDIX. 

raent  of  goods  from  England,  suitable  for  the  Indian  trade ;  which,  in  con 
sequence  of  the  president's  proclamation  of  November  of  that  year,  were 
shipped  to  Canada  instead  of  New  York,  and  have  been  transported,  under 
a  very  heavy  expense,  into  the  interior  of  the  country.  But  as  they  could 
not  legally  be  brought  into  the  Indian  country  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
United  States,  they  have  been  stored  on  the  island  of  St.  Joseph,  in  lake 
Huron,  where  they  now  remain. 

Your  petitioners,  with  great  deference  and  implicit  submission  to  the 
wisdom  of  the  national  legislature,  beg  leave  to  suggest  for  consideration, 
whether  they  have  not  some  claim  to  national  attention  and  encour 
agement,  from  the  nature  and  importance  of  their  undertaking;  which, 
though  hazardous  and  uncertain  as  it  concerns  their  private  emolument, 
must,  at  any  rate,  redound  to  the  public  security  and  advantage.  If  their 
undertaking  shall  appear  to  be  of  the  description  given,  they  would  further 
suggest  to  your  honorable  bodies,  that  unless  they  can  procure  a  regular 
supply  for  the  trade  in  which  they  are  engaged,  it  may  languish,  and  be 
finally  abandoned  by  American  citizens  ;  when  it  will  revert  to  its  former 
channel,  with  additional,  and  perhaps  with  irresistible,  power. 

Under  these  circumstances,  and  upon  all  those  considerations  of  public 
policy  which  will  present  themselves  to  your  honorable  bodies,  in  connexion 
with  those  already  mentioned,  your  petitioners  respectfully  pray  that  a  law 
may  be  passed  to  enable  the  president,  or  any  of  the  heads  of  departments 
acting  under  his  authority,  to  grant  permits  for  the  introduction  of  goods 
necessary  for  the  supply  of  the  Indians,  into  the  Indian  country  that  is  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  United  States,  under  such  regulations,  and  with  such 
restrictions,  as  may  secure  the  public  revenue  and  promote  the  public 
welfare. 

And  your  petitioners  shall  ever  pray,  &c. 

In  witness  whereof,  the  common  seal  of  the  American  Fur  Company  is 
hereunto  affixed,  the         day  of  March,  1812. 

By  order  of  the  Corporation. 


AN  ACT  to  enable  the  American  Fur  Company,  and  other  citizens,  to 
introduce  goods  necessary  for  the  Indian  trade  into  the  territories  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  United  States. 

WHEREAS,  the  public  peace  and  welfare  require  that  the  native  Indian  tribes, 
residing  within  the  boundaries  of  the  United  States,  should  receive  their 
necessary  supplies  under  the  authority  and  from  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States :  Therefore,  be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representa 
tives  of  the  United  States,  in  congress  assembled,  that  it  shall  be  lawful  for 


APPENDIX.  267 

the  president  of  the  United  States,  or  any  of  the  heads  of  departments, 
thereunto  by  him  duly  authorized,  from  time  to  time  to  grant  permits  to  the 
American  Fur  Company,  their  agents  or  factors,  or  any  other  citizens  of  the 
United  States  engaged  in  the  Indian  trade,  to  introduce  into  the  Indian 
country,  within  the  boundaries  of  the  United  States,  such  goods,  wares,  and 
merchandise,  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  said  trade,  under  such  regulations 
and  restrictions  as  the  said  president  or  heads  of  departments  may  judge 
proper ;  any  law  or  regulation  to  the  contrary,  in  anywise,  notwithstanding. 


Letter  from  Mr.  Gallatin  to  Mr.  Astor,  dated 

NEW  YORK,  August  5,  1835. 
Dear  Sir,— 

In  compliance  with  your  request,  I  will  state  such  facts  as  I  recollect, 
touching  the  subjects  mentioned  in  your  letter  of  28th  ult.  I  may  be  mis 
taken  respecting  dates  and  details,  and  will  only  relate  general  facts,  which 
I  well  remember. 

In  conformity  with  the  treaty  of  1794  with  Great  Britain,  the  citizens  and 
subjects  of  each  country  were  permitted  to  trade  with  the  Indians  residing 
in  the  territories  of  the  other  party.  The  reciprocity  was  altogether  nominal. 
Since  the  conquest  of  Canada,  the  British  had  inherited  from  the  French  the 
whole  fur  trade,  through  the  great  lakes  and  their  communications,  with  all 
the  western  Indians,  whether  residing  in  the  British  dominions  or  the  United 
States.  They  kept  the  important  western  posts  on  those  lakes  till  about  the 
year  1797.  And  the  defensive  Indian  war,  which  the  United  States  had  to 
sustain  from  1776  to  1795,  had  still  more  alienated  the  Indians,  and  secured 
to  the  British  their  exclusive  trade,  carried  through  the  lakes,  wherever  the 
Indians  in  that  quarter  lived.  No  American  could,  without  imminent  danger 
of  property  and  life,  carry  on  that  trade,  even  within  the  United  States,  by 
the  way  of  either  Michilimackinac  or  St.  Mary's.  And  independent  of  the 
loss  of  commerce,  Great  Britain  was  enabled  to  preserve  a  most  dangerous 
influence  over  our  Indians. 

It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  you  communicated  to  our  govern 
ment  the  prospect  you  had  to  be  able,  and  your  intention,  to  purchase  one 
half  of  the  interest  of  the  Canadian  Fur  Company,  engaged  in  trade  by  the 
way  of  Michilimackinac  with  our  own  Indians.  You  wished  to  know 
whether  the  plan  met  with  the  approbation  of  government,  and  how  far  you 
could  rely  on  its  protection  and  encouragement.  This  overture  was  received 
with  great  satisfaction  by  the  administration,  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  then  pre 
sident,  wrote  you  to  that  effect  I  was  also  directed,  as  secretary  of  the 


268  APPENDIX 

treasury,  to  write  to  you  an  official  letter  to  the  same  purpose.  On  investi 
gating  the  subject,  it  was  found  that  the  executive  had  no  authority  to  give 
you  any  direct  aid ;  and  I  believe  that  you  received  nothing  more  than  an 
entire  approbation  of  your  plan,  and  general  assurances  of  the  protection  due 
to  every  citizen  engaged  in  lawful  and  useful  pursuits. 

You  did  effect  the  contemplated  purchase,  but  in  what  year  I  do  not  recol 
lect  Immediately  before  the  war,  you  represented  that  a  large  quantity  of 
merchandise,  intended  for  the  Indian  trade,  and  including  arms  and  muni 
tions  of  war,  belonging  to  that  concern  of  which  you  owned  one  half,  was 
deposited  at  a  post  on  lake  Huron,  within  the  British  dominions ;  that,  in 
order  to  prevent  their  ultimately  falling  into  the  hands  of  Indians  who  might 
prove  hostile,  you  were  desirous  to  try  to  have  them  conveyed  into  the 
United  States  ;  but  that  you  were  prevented  by  the  then  existing  law  of  non- 
intercourse  with  the  British  dominions. 

The  executive  could  not  annul  the  provisions  of  that  law.  But  1  was 
directed  to  instruct  the  collectors  on  the  lakes,  in  case  you  or  your  agents 
should  voluntarily  bring  in  and  deliver  to  them  any  parts  of  the  goods  above 
mentioned,  to  receive  and  keep  them  in  their  guard,  and  not  to  commence 
prosecutions  until  further  instructions :  the  intention  being  then  to  apply  to 
congress  for  an  act  remitting  the  forfeiture  and  penalties.  I  wrote  accord 
ingly,  to  that  effect,  to  the  collectors  of  Detroit  and  Michilimackinac. 

The  attempt  to  obtain  the  goods  did  not,  however,  succeed  ;  and  I  cannot 
say  how  far  the  failure  injured  you.  But  the  war  proved  fatal  to  another 
much  more  extensive  and  important  enterprise. 

Previous  to  that  time,  but  I  also  forget  the  year,  you  had  undertaken  to 
carry  on  a  trade  on  your  own  account,  though  I  believe  under  the  New 
York  charter  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  with  the  Indians  west  of  the 
Rocky  mountains.  This  project  was  also  communicated  to  government, 
and  met,  of  course,  with  its  full  approbation,  and  best  wishes  for  your  success. 
You  carried  it  on,  on  the  most  extensive  scale,  sending  several  ships  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia  river,  and  a  large  party  by  land  across  the  moun 
tains,  and  finally  founding  the  establishment  of  Astoria. 

This  unfortunately  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  during  the  war,  from 
circumstances  with  which  I  am  but  imperfectly  acquainted — being  then 
absent  on  a  foreign  mission.  I  returned  in  September,  1815,  and  sailed 
again  on  a  mission  to  France  in  June,  1816.  During  that  period  I  visited 
Washington  twice — in  October  or  November,  1815,  and  in  March,  1816. 
On  one  of  those  two  occasions,  and  I  believe  on  the  last,  you  mentioned  to 
me  that  you  were  disposed  once  more  to  renew  the  attempt,  and  to  re-estab 
lish  Astoria,  provided  you  had  the  protection  of  the  American  flag;  for  which 
purpose,  a  lieutenant's  command  would  be  sufficient  to  you.  You  requested 
me  to  mention  this  to  the  president,  which  I  did.  Mr.  Madison  said  he 
would  consider  the  subject,  and,  although  he  did  not  commit  himself,  I 
thought  that  he  received  the  proposal  favorably.  The  message  was  verbal, 


APPENDIX.  269 

and  I  do  not  know  whether  the  application  was  ever  renewed  in  a  more 
formal  manner.  I  sailed  soon  after  for  Europe,  and  was  seven  years  absent. 
I  never  had  the  pleasure,  since  1816,  to  see  Mr.  Madison,  and  never  heard 
again  any  thing  concerning  the  subject  in  question. 

I  remain,  dear  sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

ALBERT  GALLATIN. 
JOHN  JACOB  ASTOR,  ESQ., 

New  York. 


Notices  of  the  present  state  of  the  Fur  Trade,  chiefly  extracted 
from  an  article  published  in  Silliman's  Journal  for  January, 
1834. 

The  North-west  Company  did  not  long  enjoy  the  sway  they  had  acquired 
over  the  trading  regions  of  the  Columbia.  A  competition,  ruinous  in  its 
expenses,  which  had  long  existed  between  them  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany,  ended  in  their  downfall  and  the  ruin  of  most  of  the  partners.  The 
relics  of  the  company  became  merged  in  the  rival  association,  and  the 
whole  business  was  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company. 

This  coalition  took  place  in  1821.  They  then  abandoned  Astoria,  and 
built  a  large  establishment  sixty  miles  up  the  river,  on  the  right  bank,  which 
they  called  Fort  Vancouver.  This  was  in  a  neighborhood  where  provisions 
could  be  more  readily  procured,  and  where  there  was  less  danger  from  moles 
tation  by  any  naval  force.  The  company  are  said  to  carry  on  an  active 
and  prosperous  trade,  and  to  give  great  encouragement  to  settlers.  They 
are  extremely  jealous,  however,  of  any  interference  or  participation  in  their 
trade,  and  monopolize  it  from  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  to  the  mountains,  a/id 
for  a  considerable  extent  north  and  south.  The  American  traders  and  trap 
pers  who  venture  across  the  mountains,  instead  of  enjoying  the  participation 
in  the  trade  of  the  river  and  its  tributaries,  that  had  been  stipulated  by  treaty, 
are  obliged  to  keep  to  the  south,  out  of  the  track  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
parties. 

Mr.  Astor  has  withdrawn  entirely  from  the  American  Fur  Company,  as 
he  has,  in  fact,  from  active  business  of  every  kind.  That  company  is  now 
headed  by  Mr.  Ramsay  Crooks ;  its  principal  establishment  is  at  Michili- 
mackinac,  and  it  receives  its  furs  from  the  posts  depending  on  that  station, 
and  from  those  on  the  Mississippi,  Missouri,  and  Yellow  Stone  rivers,  and 
the  great  range  of  country  extending  thence  to  the  Rocky  mountains.  This 

23* 


270  APPENDIX. 

company  lias  steamboats  in  its  employ,  with  which  it  ascends  the  rivers,  and 
penetrates  to  a  vast  distance  into  the  bosom  of  those  regions  formerly  so 
painfully  explored  in  keel-boats  and  barges,  or  by  weary  parties  on  horse 
back  and  on  foot  The  first  irruption  of  steamboats  into  the  heart  of  these 
vast  wildernesses  is  said  to  have  caused  the  utmost  astonishment  and 
affright  among  their  savage  inhabitants. 

In  addition  to  the  main  companies  already  mentioned,  minor  associations 
have  been  formed,  which  push  their  way  in  the  most  intrepid  manner  to  the 
remote  parts  of  the  far  west,  and  beyond  the  mountain  barriers.  One  of  the 
most  noted  of  these  is  Ashley's  company,  from  St  Louis,  who  trap  for 
themselves,  and  drive  an  extensive  trade  with  the  Indians.  The  spirit,  en 
terprise,  and  hardihood  of  Ashley,  are  themes  of  the  highest  eulogy  in  the 
far  west,  and  his  adventures  and  exploits  furnish  abundance  of  frontier 
stories. 

Another  company  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  from  New  York, 
formed  in  1831,  and  headed  by  Captain  Bonneville  of  the  United  States 
army,  has  pushed  its  enterprises  into  tracts  before  but  little  known,  and  has 
brought  considerable  quantities  of  furs  from  the  region  between  the  Rocky 
mountains  and  the  coasts  of  Monterey  and  Upper  California,  on  the  Buena 
ventura  and  Timpanogos  rivers. 

The  fur  countries,  from  the  Pacific,  east  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  are  now 
occupied  (exclusive  of  private  combinations  and  individual  trappers  and 
traders)  by  the  Russians ;  on  the  north-west,  from  Bhering's  Strait  to  dueen 
Charlotte's  Island,  in  north  latitude  fifty-three  degrees,  and  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  thence,  south  of  the  Columbia  river ;  while  Ashley's  company, 
and  that  under  Captain  Bonneville,  take  the  remainder  of  the  region  to 
California.  Indeed,  the  whole  compass  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean  is  traversed  in  every  direction.  The  mountains  and  forests,  from  the 
Arctic  Sea  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  are  threaded,  through  every  maze,  by  the 
hunter.  Every  river  and  tributary  stream,  from  the  Columbia  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  and  from  the  M'Kenzie  to  the  Colorado  of  the  West, 
from  their  head  springs  to  their  junction,  are  searched  and  trapped  for  beaver. 
Almost  all  the  American  furs,  which  do  not  belong  to  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  find  their  way  to  New  York,  and  are  either  distributed  thence 
for  home  consumption,  or  sent  to  foreign  markets. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  ship  their  furs  from  their  factories  of  York 
fort  and  from  Moose  river,  on  Hudson's  Bay ;  their  collection  from  Grand 
river,  &c.,  they  ship  from  Canada ;  and  the  collection  from  Columbia  goes 
to  London.  None  of  their  furs  come  to  the  United  States,  except  through 
the  London  market 

The  export  trade  of  furs  from  the  United  States  is  chiefly  to  London. 
Some  quantities  have  been  sent  to  Canton,  and  some  few  to  Hamburgh ; 
and  an  increasing  export  trade  in  beaver,  otter,  nutria,  and  vicunia  wool, 
prepared  for  the  hatter's  use,  is  carried  on  in  Mexico.  Some  furs  are  ex- 


APPENDIX.  271 

ported  from  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  and  Boston ;  but  the  principal  shipments 
from  the  United  States  are  from  New  York  to  London,  from  whence  they 
are  sent  to  Leipsic,  a  well-known  mart  for  furs,  where  they  are  disposed 
of  during  the  great  fair  in  that  city,  and  distributed  to  every  part  of  the 
continent. 

The  United  States  import  from  South  America,  nutria,  vicunia,  chinchilla, 
and  a  few  deer  skins ;  also  fur  seals  from  the  Lobos  islands,  off  the  river 
Plate.  A  quantity  of  beaver,  otter,  &c.,  are  brought  annually  from  Santa 
Fe\  Dressed  furs  for  edgings,  linings,  caps,  muffs,  &c.,  such  as  squirrel, 
genet,  fitch  skins,  and  blue  rabbit,  are  received  from  the  north  of  Europe ; 
also  coney  and  hare's  fur ;  but  the  largest  importations  are  from  London, 
where  is  concentrated  nearly  the  whole  of  the  North  American  fur  trade. 

Such  is  the  present  state  of  the  fur  trade,  by  which  it  will  appear  that  the 
extended  sway  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  its  monopoly  of  the 
region  of  which  Astoria  was  the  key,  has  operated  to  turn  the  main  current 
of  this  opulent  trade  into  the  coffers  of  Great  Britain,  and  to  render  London 
the  emporium  instead  of  New  York,  as  Mr.  Astor  had  intended. 

We  will  subjoin  a  few  observations  on  the  animals  sought  after  in  this 
traffic,  extracted  from  the  same  intelligent  source  with  the  preceding 
remarks. 

Of  the  fur-bearing  animals,  "  the  precious  ermine,"  so  called  by  way  of 
pre-eminence,  is  found,  of  the  best  quality,  only  in  the  cold  regions  of  Europe 
and  Asia.*  Its  fur  is  of  the  most  perfect  whiteness,  except  the  tip  of  its  tail, 
which  is  of  a  brilliant  shining  black.  With  these  black  tips  tacked  on  the 
skins,  they  are  beautifully  spotted,  producing  an  effect  often  imitated,  but 
never  equalled  in  other  furs.  The  ermine  is  of  the  genus  mustela,  (weasel,) 
and  resembles  the  common  weasel  in  its  form ;  is  from  fourteen  to  sixteen 
inches  from  the  tip  of  the  nose  to  the  end  of  the  tail.  The  body  is  from  ten 
to  twelve  inches  long.  It  lives  in  hollow  trees,  river  banks,  and  especially 
in  beech  forests  ;  preys  on  small  birds,  is  very  shy,  sleeping  during  the  day, 
and  employing  the  night  in  search  of  food.  The  fur  of  the  older  animals  is 
preferred  to  the  younger.  It  is  taken  by  snares  and  traps,  and  sometimes 
shot  with  blunt  arrows.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  domesticate  it ;  but  it 
is  extremely  wild,  and  has  been  found  untameable. 

The  sable  can  scarcely  be  called  second  to  the  ermine.  It  is  a  native  of 
northern  Europe  and  Siberia,  and  is  also  of  the  genus  mustela.  In  Sa- 
moieda,  Yakutsk,  Kamschatka,  and  Russian  Lapland,  it  is  found  of  the 
richest  quality,  and  darkest  color.  In  its  habits,  it  resembles  the  ermine. 
It  preys  on  small  squirrels  and  birds,  sleeps  by  day,  and  prowls  for  food 
during  the  night.  It  is  so  like  the  marten  in  every  particular  except  its  size, 
and  the  dark  shade  of  its  color,  that  naturalists  have  not  decided  whether  it 


*  An  animal  called  the  stoat,  a  kind  of  ermine,  is  said  to  be  found  in  North  America, 
but  very  inferior  to  the  European  and  Asiatic. 


272  APPENDIX. 

is  the  richest  and  finest  of  the  marten  tribe,  or  a  variety  of  that  species.*    It 
varies  in  dimensions  from  eighteen  to  twenty  inches. 

The  rich  dark  shades  of  the  sable,  and  the  snowy  whiteness  of  the  ermine, 
the  great  depth,  and  the  peculiar,  almost  flowing  softness  of  their  skins  and 
fur,  have  combined  to  gain  them  a  preference  in  all  countries,  and  in  all  ages 
of  the  world.  In  this  age,  they  maintain  the  same  relative  estimate  in  regard 
to  other  furs,  as  when  they  marked  the  rank  of  the  proud  crusader,  and  were 
emblazoned  in  heraldry :  but  in  most  European  nations,  they  are  now  worn 
promiscuously  by  the  opulent. 

The  martens  from  Northern  Asia  and  the  mountains  of  Kamschatka  are 
much  superior  to  the  American,  though  in  every  pack  of  American  marten 
skins  there  are  a  certain  number  which  are  beautifully  shaded,  and  of  a 
dark  brown  olive  color,  of  great  depth  and  richness. 

Next  these  in  value,  for  ornament  and  utility,  are  the  sea  otter,  the  mink, 
and  the  fiery  fox. 

The  fiery  fox  is  the  bright  red  of  Asia ;  is  more  brilliantly  colored  and  of 
finer  fur  than  any  other  of  the  genus.  It  is  highly  valued  for  the  splendor 
of  its  red  color  and  the  fineness  of  its  fur.  It  is  the  standard  of  value  on  the 
north-eastern  coast  of  Asia. 

The  sea  otter,  which  was  first  introduced  into  commerce  in  1725,  from  the 
Aleutian  and  Kurile  islands,  is  an  exceedingly  fine,  soft,  close  fur,  jet  black 
in  winter  with  a  silken  gloss.  The  fur  of  the  young  animal  is  of  a  beautiful 
brown  color.  It  is  met  with  in  great  abundance  in  Bhering's  island,  Kam 
schatka,  Aleutian  and  Fox  islands,  and  is  also  taken  on  the  opposite  coasts 
of  North  America.  It  is  sometimes  taken  with  nets,  but  more  frequently 
with  clubs  and  spears.  Their  food  is  principally  lobster  and  other  shell-fish. 

In  1780  furs  had  become  so  scarce  in  Siberia,  that  the  supply  was  insuffi 
cient  for  the  demand  in  the  Asiatic  countries.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the 
sea  otter  was  introduced  into  the  markets  for  China.  The  skins  brought 
such  incredible  prices,  as  to  originate  immediately  several  American  and 
British  expeditions  to  the  northern  islands  of  the  Pacific,  to  Nootka  Sound, 
and  the  north-west  coast  of  America ;  but  the  Russians  already  had  posses 
sion  of  the  tract  which  they  now  hold,  and  had  arranged  a  trade  for  the  sea 
otter  with  the  Koudek  tribes.  They  do  not  engross  the  trade,  however ; 
the  American  north-west  trading  ships  procure  them,  all  along  the  coast, 
from  the  Indians. 

At  one  period,  the  fur  seals  formed  no  inconsiderable  item  in  the  trade. 
South  Georgia,  in  south  latitude  fifty-five  degrees,  discovered  in  1675,  was 
explored  by  Captain  Cook  in  1771.  The  Americans  immediately  com 
menced  carrying  seal  skins  thence  to  China,  where  they  obtained  the  most 

*  The  finest  fur  and  the  darkest  color  are  most  esteemed ;  and  whether  the  difference 
arises  from  the  age  of  the  animal,  or  from  some  peculiarity  of  location,  is  not  known. 
They  do  not  vary  more  from  the  common  marten,  than  the  Arabian  horse  from  the 
shaggy  Canadian. 


APPENDIX.  273 

exorbitant  prices.  One  million  two  hundred  thousand  skins  have  been 
taken  from  that  island  alone,  and  nearly  an  equal  number  from  the  island 
of  Desolation,  since  they  were  first  resorted  to  for  the  purposes  of  commerce. 

The  discovery  of  the  South  Shetlands,  sixty-three  degrees  south  latitude, 
in  1818,  added  surprisingly  to  the  trade  in  fur  seals.  The  number  taken 
from  the  South  Shetlands  in  1821  and  1822  amounted  to  three  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand.  This  valuable  animal  is  now  almost  extinct  in  all  these 
islands,  owing  to  the  exterminating  system  adopted  by  the  hunters.  They 
are  still  taken  on  the  Lobos  islands,  where  the  provident  government  of 
Montevideo  restrict  the  fishery,  or  hunting,  within  certain  limits,  which  insures 
an  annual  return  of  the  seals.  At  certain  seasons  these  amphibia,  for  the 
purpose  of  renewing  their  coat,  come  up  on  the  dark  frowning  rocks  and 
precipices,  where  there  is  not  a  trace  of  vegetation.  In  the  middle  of  January, 
the  islands  are  partially  cleared  of  snow,  where  a  few  patches  of  short  strag 
gling  grass  spring  up  in  favorable  situations ;  but  the  seals  do  not  resort  to 
it  for  food.  They  remain  on  the  rocks  not  less  than  two  months,  without 
any  sustenance,  when  they  return  much  emaciated  to  the  sea. 

Bears  of  various  species  and  colors,  many  varieties  of  the  fox,  the  wolf, 
the  beaver,  the  otter,  the  marten,  the  raccoon,  the  badger,  the  wolverine,  the 
mink,  the  lynx,  the  muskrat,  the  woodchuck,  the  rabbit,  the  hare,  and  the 
squirrel,  are  natives  of  North  America. 

The  beaver,  otter,  lynx,  fisher,  hare,  and  raccoon,  are  used  principally  for 
hats ;  while  the  bears  of  several  varieties  furnish  an  excellent  material  for 
sleigh  linings,  for  cavalry  caps,  and  other  military  equipments.  The  fur  of 
the  black  fox  is  the  most  valuable  of  any  of  the  American  varieties ;  and  next 
to  that  the  red,  which  is  exported  to  China  and  Smyrna.  In  China,  the  red 
is  employed  for  trimmings,  linings,  and  robes  ;  the  latter  being  variegated,  by 
adding  the  black  fur  of  the  paws,  in  spots  or  waves.  There  are  many  other 
varieties  of  American  fox,  such  as  the  gray,  the  white,  the  cross,  the  silver, 
and  the  dun-colored.  The  silver  fox  is  a  rare  animal,  a  native  of  the  woody 
country  below  the  falls  of  the  Columbia  river.  It  has  a  long,  thick,  deep 
lead-colored  fur,  intermingled  with  long  hairs,  invariably  white  at  the  top, 
forming  a  bright  lustrous  silver  gray,  esteemed  by  some  more  beautiful  than 
any  other  kind  of  fox. 

The  skins  of  the  buffalo,  of  the  Rocky  mountain  sheep,  of  various  deer, 
and  of  the  antelope,  are  included  in  the  fur  trade  with  the  Indians  and 
trappers  of  the  north  and  west. 

Fox  and  seal  skins  are  sent  from  Greenland  to  Denmark.  The  white  fur 
of  the  arctic  fox  and  polar  bear  is  sometimes  found  in  the  packs  brought  to 
the  traders  by  the  most  northern  tribes  of  Indians,  but  is  not  particularly 
valuable.  The  silver-tipped  rabbit  is  peculiar  to  England,  and  is  sent  thence 
to  Russia  and  China. 

Other  furs  are  employed  ancl  valued  according  to  the  caprices  of  fashion, 
as  well  in  those  countries  where  they  are  needed  for  defences  against  the 


274  APPENDIX. 

severity  of  the  seasons,  as  among  the  inhabitants  of  milder  climates,  who, 
being  of  Tartar  or  Sclavonian  descent,  are  said  to  inherit  an  attachment  to 
furred  clothing.  Such  are  the  inhabitants  of  Poland,  of  Southern  Russia, 
of  China,  of  Persia,  of  Turkey,  and  all  the  nations  of  Gothic  origin  in  the 
middle  and  western  parts  of  Europe.  Under  the  burning  suns  of  Syria  and 
Egypt,  and  the  mild  climes  of  Bucharia  and  Independent  Tartary,  there  is 
also  a  constant  demand,  and  a  great  consumption,  where  there  exists  no 
physical  necessity.  In  our  own  temperate  latitudes,  besides  their  use  in  the 
arts,  they  are  in  request  for  ornament  and  warmth  during  the  winter,  and 
large  quantities  are  annually  consumed  for  both  purposes  in  the  United 
States. 

From  the  foregoing  statements,  it  appears  that  the  fur  trade  must  hencefor 
ward  decline.  The  advanced  state  of  geographical  science  shows  that  no 
new  countries  remain  to  be  explored.  In  North  America,  the  animals 
are  slowly  decreasing,  from  the  persevering  efforts  and  the  indiscriminate 
slaughter  practised  by  the  hunters,  and  by  the  appropriation  to  the  uses  of 
man  of  those  forests  and  rivers  which  have  afforded  them  food  and  protec 
tion.  They  recede  with  the  aborigines,  before  the  tide  of  civilization  ;  but  a 
diminished  supply  will  remain  in  the  mountains  and  uncultivated  tracts  of 
this  and  other  countries,  if  the  avidity  of  the  vunter  can  be  restrained  within 
proper  limitations. 


Height  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Various  estimates  have  been  made  of  the  height  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
but  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  have,  as  yet,  done  justice  to  their  real  altitude, 
which  promises  to  place  them  only  second  to  the  highest  mountains  of  the 
known  world.  Their  height  has  been  diminished  to  the  eye  by  the  great  ele 
vation  of  the  plains  from  which  they  rise.  They  consist,  according  to  Long, 
of  ridges,  knobs,  and  peaks,  variously  disposed.  The  more  elevated  parts 
are  covered  with  perpetual  snows,  which  contribute  to  give  them  a  luminous, 
and,  at  a  great  distance,  even  a  brilliant  appearance ;  whence  they  derived, 
among  some  of  the  first  discoverers,  the  name  of  the  Shining  mountains. 

James's  Peak  has  generally  been  cited  as  the  highest  of  the  chain ;  and  its 
elevation  above  the  common  level  has  been  ascertained,  by  a  trigonometrical 
measurement,  to  be  about  eight  thousand  five  hundred  feet  Mr.  Long,  how 
ever,  judged,  from  the  position  of  the  snow  near  the  summits  of  other  peaks 
and  ridges  at  no  great  distance  from  it,  that  they  were  much  higher.  Having 
heard  Professor  Renwick,  of  New  York,  express  an  opinion  of  the  altitude 
of  these  mountains  far  beyond  what  had  usually  been  ascribed  to  them,  we 
applied  to  him  for  the  authority  on  which  he  grounded  his  observation,  and 
here  subjoin  his  reply: — 


APPENDIX.  275 

COLUMBIA  COLLEGE,  NEW  YORK,  February  23,  1836. 
Dear  Sir, — 

In  compliance  with  your  request,  I  have  to  communicate  some  facts 
in  relation  to  the  heights  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  the  sources  whence  I 
obtained  the  information. 

In  conversation  with  Simon  M'Gillivray,  Esq.,  a  partner  of  the  North 
west  Company,  he  stated  to  me  his  impression,  that  the  mountains  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  route  pursued  by  the  traders  of  that  company  were  nearly  as 
high  as  the  Himalayas.  He  had  himself  crossed  by  this  route,  seen  the 
snowy  summits  of  the  peaks,  and  experienced  a  degree  of  cold  which  re 
quired  a  spirit  thermometer  to  indicate  it.  His  authority  for  the  estimate  of 
the  heights  was  a  gentleman  who  had  been  employed  for  several  years  as 
surveyor  of  that  company.  This  conversation  occurred  about  sixteen  years 
since. 

A  year  or  two  afterwards,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  dining,  at  Major  Dela- 
field's,  with  Mr.  Thompson,  the  gentleman  referred  to  by  Mr.  M'Gillivray. 
I  inquired  of  him  in  relation  to  the  circumstances  mentioned  by  Mr.  M'Gil 
livray,  and  he  stated,  that,  by  the  joint  means  of  the  barometer  and  trigono 
metric  measurement,  he  had  ascertained  the  height  of  one  of  the  peaks  to  be 
about  twenty-five  thousand  feet,  and  there  were  others  of  nearly  the  same 
height  in  the  vicinity. 

I  am,  dear  Sir, 

Yours  truly, 

JAMES  RENWICK. 

To  W.  IRVING,  Esq. 


Suggestions  with  respect  to  the  Indian  tribes,  and  the  protection 
of  our  Trade. 

In  the  course  of  this  work,  a  few  general  remarks  have  been  hazarded 
respecting  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  prairies,  and  the  dangers  to  be  appre 
hended  from  them  in  future  times  to  our  trade  beyond  the  Rocky  mountains 
and  with  the  Spanish  frontiers.  Since  writing  those  remarks,  we  have  met 
with  some  excellent  observations  and  suggestions,  in  manuscript,  on  the 
same  subject,  written  by  Captain  Bonneville,  of  the  United  States  army, 
who  has  lately  returned  from  a  long  residence  among  the  tribes  of  the  Rocky 
mountains.  Captain  B.  approves  highly  of  the  plan  recently  adopted  by  the 
United  States  government  for  the  organization  of  a  regiment  of  dragoons 
for  the  protection  of  our  western  frontier,  and  the  trade  across  the  prairies. 
"No  other  species  of  military  force,"  he  observes,  "is  at  all  competent  to 
cope  with  these  restless  and  wandering  hordes,  who  require  to  be  opposed 


276  APPENDIX. 

with  swiftness  quite  as  much  as  with  strength ;  and  the  consciousness  that 
a  troop,  uniting  these  qualifications,  is  always  on  the  alert  to  avenge  their 
outrages  upon  the  settlers  and  traders,  will  go  very  far  towards  restraining 
them  from  the  perpetration  of  those  thefts  and  murders  which  they  have  here 
tofore  committed  with  impunity,  whenever  stratagem  or  superiority  of  force 
has  given  them  the  advantage.  Their  interest  already  has  done  something 
towards  their  pacification  with  our  countrymen.  From  the  traders  among 
them,  they  receive  their  supplies  in  the  greatest  abundance,  and  upon  very 
equitable  terms ;  and  when  it  is  remembered  that  a  very  considerable  amount 
of  property  is  yearly  distributed  among  them  by  the  government,  as  presents, 
it  will  readily  be  perceived  that  they  are  greatly  dependant  upon  us  for  their 
most  valued  resources.  If,  superadded  to  this  inducement,  a  frequent  display 
of  military  power  be  made  in  their  territories,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that 
the  desired  security  and  peace  will  be  speedily  afforded  to  our  own  people. 
But  the  idea  of  establishing  a  permanent  amity  and  concord  amongst  the 
various  east  and  west  tribes  themselves,  seems  to  me,  if  not  wholly  imprac 
ticable,  at  least  infinitely  more  difficult  than  many  excellent  philanthropists 
have  hoped  and  believed.  Those  nations  which  have  so  lately  emigrated 
from  the  midst  of  our  settlements  to  live  upon  our  western  borders,  and  have 
made  some  progress  in  agriculture  and  the  arts  of  civilization,  have,  in  the 
property  they  have  acquired,  and  the  protection  and  aid  extended  to  them, 
too  many  advantages  to  be  induced  readily  to  take  up  arms  against  us,  par 
ticularly  if  they  can  be  brought  to  the  full  conviction  that  their  new  homes 
will  be  permanent  and  undisturbed ;  and  there  is  every  reason  and  motive, 
in  policy  as  well  as  humanity,  for  our  ameliorating  their  condition  by  every 
means  in  our  power.  But  the  case  is  far  different  with  regard  to  the  Osages, 
the  Kanzas,  the  Pawnees,  and  other  roving  hordes  beyond  the  frontiers  of  the 
settlements.  Wild  and  restless  in  their  character  and  habits,  they  are  by  no 
means  so  susceptible  of  control  or  civilization ;  and  they  are  urged  by  strong, 
and,  to  them,  irresistible  causes  in  then-  situation  and  necessities,  to  the  daily 
perpetration  of  violence  and  fraud.  Their  permanent  subsistence,  for  example, 
is  derived  from  the  buffalo  hunting  grounds,  which  lie  a  great  distance  from 
their  towns.  Twice  a  year  they  are  obliged  to  make  long  and  dangerous  ex 
peditions,  to  procure  the  necessary  provisions  for  themselves  and  their  families. 
For  this  purpose,  horses  are  absolutely  requisite,  for  their  own  comfort  and 
safety,  as  well  as  for  the  transportation  of  their  food,  and  their  little  stock  of 
valuables ;  and  without  them  they  would  be  reduced,  during  a  great  portion 
of  the  year,  to  a  state  of  abject  misery  and  privation.  They  have  no  brood 
mares,  nor  any  trade  sufficiently  valuable  to  supply  their  yearly  losses,  and 
endeavor  to  keep  up  then-  stock  by  stealing  horses  from  the  other  tribes  to 
the  west  and  south-west  Our  own  people,  and  the  tribes  immediately  upon 
our  borders,  may  indeed  be  protected  from  their  depredations ;  and  the  Kan 
zas,  Osages,  Pawnees,  and  others,  may  be  induced  to  remain  at  peace  among 
themselves,  so  long  as  they  are  permitted  to  pursue  the  old  custom  of  levying 


APPENDIX.  277 

upon  the  Camanches  and  other  remote  nations  for  their  complement  of  steeds 
for  the  warriors,  and  pack-horses  for  their  transportations  to  and  from  the 
hunting  ground.  But  the  instant  they  are  forced  to  maintain  a  peaceful  and 
inoffensive  demeanor  towards  the  tribes  along  the  Mexican  border,  and  find 
that  every  violation  of  their  rights  is  followed  by  the  avenging  arm  of  our 
government,  the  result  must  be,  that,  reduced  to  a  wretchedness  and  want 
which  they  can  ill  brook,  and  feeling  the  certainty  of  punishment  for  every 
attempt  to  ameliorate  their  condition  in  the  only  way  they  as  yet  compre 
hend,  they  will  abandon  their  unfruitful  territory,  and  remove  to  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  Mexican  lands,  and  there  carry  on  a  vigorous  predatory  war 
fare  indiscriminately  upon  the  Mexicans  and  our  own  people  trading  or 
travelling  in  that  quarter. 

"The  Indians  of  the  prairies  are  almost  innumerable.  Their  superior 
horsemanship,  which,  in  my  opinion,  far  exceeds  that  of  any  other  people  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  their  daring  bravery,  their  cunning  and  skill  in  the  war 
fare  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  astonishing  rapidity  and  secrecy  with  which 
they  are  accustomed  to  move  in  their  martial  expeditions,  will  always  render 
them  most  dangerous  and  vexatious  neighbors,  when  their  necessities  or  their 
discontents  may  drive  them  to  hostility  with  our  frontiers.  Their  mode  and 
principles  of  warfare  will  always  protect  them  from  final  and  irretrievable 
defeat,  and  secure  then"  families  from  participating  in  any  blow,  however 
severe,  which  our  retribution  might  deal  out  to  them. 

"The  Camanches  lay  the  Mexicans  under  contribution  for  horses  and 
mules,  which  they  are  always  engaged  in  stealing  from  them  in  incredible 
numbers ;  and  from  the  Camanches,  all  the  roving  tribes  of  the  far  west,  by 
a  similar  exertion  of  skill  and  daring,  supply  themselves  in  turn.  It  seems 
to  me,  therefore,  under  all  these  circumstances,  that  the  apparent  futility  of 
any  philanthropic  schemes  for  the  benefit  of  these  nations,  and  a  regard  for 
our  own  protection,  concur  in  recommending  that  we  remain  satisfied  with 
maintaining  peace  upon  our  own  immediate  borders,  and  leave  the  Mexicans 
and  the  Camanches,  and  all  the  tribes  hostile  to  these  last,  to  settle  their 
differences  and  difficulties  in  their  own  way. 

"  In  order  to  give  full  security  and  protection  to  our  trading  parties  circu 
lating  in  all  directions  through  the  great  prairies,  I  am  under  the  impression, 
that  a  few  judicious  measures  on  the  part  of  the  government,  involving  a 
very  limited  expense,  would  be  sufficient.  And,  in  attaining  this  end,  which 
of  itself  has  already  become  an  object  of  public  interest  and  import,  another, 
of  much  greater  consequence,  might  be  brought  about,  viz.,  the  securing  to 
the  states  a  most  valuable  and  increasing  trade,  now  carried  on  by  caravans 
directly  to  Santa  Fe\ 

"  As  to  the  first  desideratum :  the  Indians  can  only  be  made  to  respect  the 
lives  and  property  of  the  American  parties,  by  rendering  them  dependant  upon 
us  for  their  supplies ;  which  can  alone  be  done  with  complete  effect  by  the 
establishment  of  a  trading  post,  with  resident  traders,  at  some  point  which 

VOL.  n.  24 


278  APPENDIX. 

will  unite  a  sufficient  number  of  advantages  to  attract  the  several  tribes  to 
itself,  in  preference  to  their  present  places  of  resort  for  that  purpose ;  for  it  is 
a  well  known  fact,  that  the  Indiana  will  always  protect  their  trader,  and 
those  in  whom  he  is  interested,  so  long  as  they  derive  benefits  from  him. 
The  alternative  presented  to  those  at  the  north,  by  the  residence  of  the  agents 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  amongst  them,  renders  the  condition  of  our 
people  in  that  quarter  less  secure ;  but  I  think  it  will  appear,  at  once,  upon 
the  most  cursory  examination,  that  no  such  opposition  further  south  could  be 
maintained,  so  as  to  weaken  the  benefits  of  such  an  establishment  as  is  here 
suggested. 

"•  In  considering  this  matter,  the  first  question  which  presents  itself  is, 
where  do  these  tribes  now  make  their  exchanges,  and  obtain  their  necessary 
supplies  ?  They  resort  almost  exclusively  to  the  Mexicans,  who,  themselves, 
purchase  from  us  whatever  the  Indians  most  seek  for.  In  this  point  of  view, 
therefore,  cceteris  paribus,  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  for  us  to  monopolize  the 
"whole  traffic.  All  that  is  wanting  is  some  location  more  convenient  for  the 
natives  than  that  offered  by  the  Mexicans,  to  give  us  the  undisputed  supe 
riority  ;  and  the  selection  of  such  a  point  requires  but  a  knowledge  of  the 
single  fact,  that  these  nations  invariably  winter  upon  the  head  waters  of  the 
Arkansas,  and  there  prepare  all  their  buffalo  robes  for  trade.  These  robes 
are  heavy,  and,  to  the  Indian,  very  difficult  of  transportation.  Nothing  but 
necessity  induces  them  to  travel  any  great  distance  with  such  inconvenient 
baggage.  A  post,  therefore,  established  upon  the  head  waters  of  the  Arkan 
sas,  must  infallibly  secure  an  uncontested  preference  over  that  of  the  Mex 
icans,  even  at  their  prices  and  rates  of  barter.  Then  let  the  dragoons  occa 
sionally  move  about  among  these  people  in  large  parties,  impressing  them 
with  the  proper  estimate  of  our  power  to  protect  and  to  punish,  and  at  once 
we  have  complete  and  assured  security  for  all  citizens  whose  enterprise  may 
lead  them  beyond  the  border,  and  an  end  to  the  outrages  and  depredations 
which  now  dog  the  footsteps  of  the  traveller  in  the  prairies,  and  arrest  and 
repress  the  most  advantageous  commerce.  Such  a  post  need  not  be  stronger 
than  fifty  men ;  twenty-five  to  be  employed  as  hunters,  to  supply  the  garri 
son,  and  the  residue  as  a  defence  against  any  hostility.  Situated  here  upon 
the  good  lands  of  the  Arkansas,  in  the  midst  of  abundance  of  timber,  while 
it  might  be  kept  up  at  a  most  inconsiderable  expense,  such  an  establishment 
within  ninety  miles  of  Santa  F^  or  Tous  would  be  more  than  justified  by 
the  other  and  more  important  advantage  before  alluded  to,  leaving  the  pro 
tection  of  the  traders  with  the  Indian  tribes  entirely  out  of  the  question. 

"This  great  trade,  carried  on  by  caravans  to  Santa  Fe",  annually  loads  one 
hundred  wagons  with  merchandise,  which  is  bartered  in  the  northern  prov 
inces  or  Mexico  for  cash  and  for  beaver  furs.  The  numerous  articles  ex 
cluded  as  contraband,  and  the  exorbitant  duties  laid  upon  all  those  that  are 
admitted  by  the  Mexican  government,  present  so  many  obstacles  to  com 
merce,  that  I  am  well  persuaded,  that  if  a  post,  such  as  is  here  suggested, 


APPENDIX.  279 

should  be  established  on  the  Arkansas,  it  would  become  the  place  of  deposite, 
not  only  for  the  present  trade,  but  for  one  infinitely  more  extended.  Here 
the  Mexicans  might  purchase  their  supplies,  and  might  well  afford  to  sell 
them  at  prices  which  would  silence  all  competition  from  any  other  quarter. 

"These  two  trades,  with  the  Mexicans  and  the  Indians,  centring  at  this 
post,  would  give  rise  to  a  large  village  of  traders  and  laborers,  and  would 
undoubtedly  be  hailed,  by  all  that  section  of  country,  as  a  permanent  and 
invaluable  advantage.  A  few  pack-horses  would  carry  all  the  clothing  and 
ammunition  necessary  for  the  post  during  the  first  year,  and  two  light  field- 
pieces  would  be  all  the  artillery  required  for  its  defence.  Afterwards,  all  the 
horses  required  for  the  use  of  the  establishment  might  be  purchased  from  the 
Mexicans  at  the  low  price  of  ten  dollars  each ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  what 
ever  animals  might  be  needed  to  supply  the  losses  among  the  dragoons  trav 
ersing  the  neighborhood,  could  be  readily  procured.  The  Upper  Missouri 
Indians  can  furnish  horses,  at  very  cheap  rates,  to  any  number  of  the  same 
troops  who  might  be  detailed  for  the  defence  of  the  northern  frontier;  and,  in 
other  respects,  a  very  limited  outlay  of  money  would  suffice  to  maintain  a 
post  in  that  section  of  the  country. 

"From  these  considerations,  and  my  own  personal  observation,  I  am, 
therefore,  disposed  to  believe,  that  two  posts  established  by  the  government, 
one  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow  Stone  river,  and  one  on  the  Arkansas,  would 
completely  protect  all  our  people  in  every  section'of  the  great  wilderness  of 
the  west ;  while  other  advantages,  at  least  with  regard  to  one  of  them,  con 
firm  and  urge  the  suggestion.  A  fort  at  the  mouth  of  Yellow  Stone,  garri 
soned  by  fifty  men,  would  be  perfectly  safe.  The  establishment  might  be 
constructed  simply  with  a  view  to  the  stores,  stables  for  the  dragoons'  horses, 
and  quarters  for  the  regular  garrison ;  the  rest  being  provided  with  sheds  or 
lodges,  erected  in  the  vicinity,  for  their  residence  during  the  winter  months." 


THE    END. 


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Not  a  tree, 

A  plant,  a  leaf,  a  blossom,  but  contains  a  folio  volume. 
Ye  are  the  stars  of  earth — and  dear  to  me 
Is  each  small  twinkling  gem  that  wanders  free, 
'Mid  glade  or  woodland,  or  by  murm'ring  stream, 
For  ye  to  me  are  more  than  sweet  or  fair, 
I  love  ye  for  the  mem'ries  that  ye  bear ; 
Or  bygone  hours,  whose  bliss  was  but  a  dream. 

LOUISA  ANNE  TWAMLEY. 

Companion  to  De  Lamartine. 

NARRATIVE  OF  THE  RESIDENCE  OF  FATALLA  SAYEGHIR  AMONG  THE 
WANDERING  ARABS  OF  THE  GREAT  DESERT,  collected  and  translated 
by  the  care  of  M.  De  Lamartine.  In  1  vol.  12mo. 


Wraxair*  Memoirs. 

POSTHUMOUS  MEMOIRS  OF  His  OWN  TIME,  including  Original  Anec 
dotes  of  the  most  distinguished  political  and  literary  personages, 
wits  and  beauties  of  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  George  III. 
and  of  the  Regency,  by  Sir  Nathaniel  W.  Wraxall,  Bart.  In  1 
»ol.  8vo. 

Walsh's  Didactics. 

DIDACTICS,  SOCIAL,  LITERARY,  AND  POLITICAL,  by  Robert  Walsh,  Esq. 
in  two  volumes  royal  12rno.  embossed  cloth. 

Rammer's  England. 

ENGLAND  IN  1835:  being  a  series  of  Letters  written  to  friends  in 
Germany,  during  a  residence  in  London  and  excursions  into  the 
Provinces,  by  Frederick  Von  Raumer,  Professor  of  History  at  the 
University  of  Berlin.  In  1  vol.  8vo. 

Wheatorts  International  Law. 

ELEMENTS  OF  INTERNATIONAL  LAW,  with  a  Sketch  of  the  History  of 
the  Science,  by  Henry  Wheaton,  LL.  D.,  Resident  Minister  from 
the  United  States  to  the  Court  of  Berlin,  &c.  &c.  In  1  vol.  8vo. 

Cooper's  New  Work. 

SKETCHES  OF  SWITZERLAND,  by  the  author  of  the  Spy,  Pioneers,  &c. 
In  2  vols.  I  .'mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  THOMAS  JEFFERSON,  third  President  of  the  United  States : 
With  parts  of  his  Correspondence,  never  before  published,  and 
notices  of  his  Opinions  on  questions  of  Civil  Government,  National 
Policy,  and  Constitutional  Law,  by  George  Tucker,  Professor  of 
Moral  Philosophy  in  the  University  of  Virginia.  In  2  vols.  8vo. 
(In  the  Press.) 

TEXT  BOOK  OF  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY,  by  J.  C.  I.  GIESELER,  Doctor 
of  Philosophy  and  Theology,  and  Professor  of  Theology  in  Got- 
tingen.  Translated  from  the  Third  German  edition,  by  Francis 
Cunningham.  (In  the  press.) 

BUCKLAND'S  NEW  WORK  ON  GEOLOGY,  &c.  being  the  last  of  the  Bridge- 
water  Treatises,  with  numerous  Plates.  8vo.  (In  the  press.) 

MINOR  MORALS,  by  John  Bowring.     1  vol.  12mo.    (Nearly  ready.) 
MUDIE'S  TREATISE  ON  THE  EARTH.    1  vol.  12mo. 

Washington  Irving. 

ASTORIA,  OR  ANECDOTES  OF  AN  ENTERPRISE  BEYOND  THE  ROCKY  MOUN 
TAINS,  by  Washington  Irving.  In  2  vols. 

A  NEW  ANNUAL,  by  Lady  Blessington,  embellished  with  six  original 
Engravings  on  Steel,  by  Heath,  from  drawings  made  for  the  work. 
(Nearly  ready.) 

PRECAUTION,  a  Novel,  by  the  author  of  the  Spy.  Revised  and  many 
parts  rewritten  by  the  author.  2  vols.  12mo.  (In  the  press.) 

A  NEW  EDITION  OF  THE  BRIDGEWATER  TREATISES,  in  2  vols.  8vo., 
embracing  the  Treatises  of  Chalmers,  Prout,  Kidd,  Bell,  and 
Whewell,  to  correspond  with  the  editions  of  Roget  and  Kjrby'f 
Treatises. 


CAREY,  LEA  &  BLANCH ARD,  PHILADELPHIA, 

WILL  PUBLISH  BY  SUBSCRIPTION, 

AN 

ENCYCLOPAEDIA  OF  GEOGRAPHY: 

COMPRISING  A 

COMPLETE  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  EARTH, 

PHYSICAL,  STATISTICAL,  COMMERCIAL,  AND  POLITICAL  ; 
EXHIBITING 

Its  Relation  to  the  Heavenly  Bodies — its  physical  Structure — the 
Natural  History  of  each  Country ;  and  the  Industry,  Commerce, 
Political  Institutions,  and  Civil  and  Social  state  of  all  Nations. 

BY  HUGH  MURRAY,  F.  R.  S.  E. 

ASSISTED  IN 

Astronomy,  &c.  by  Prof.  Wallace,  Geology,  &o.  by  Prof.  Jameson, 
Botany,  &c.  by  Prof.  Hooker,  Zoology,  &c.  by  W.  Swainson,Esq. 

ILLUSTRATED  BY  EIGHTY-TWO  MAPS, 

And  about  Eleven  Hundred  other  Engravings  on  Wood, 

Representing  the  most  remarkable  objects  of  Nature  and  Art 
in  every  region  of  the  Globe. 

TOGETHER  WITH 

A  NEW  MAP  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
REVISED,    WITH    ADDITION'S, 

BY  THOMAS  G.  BRADFORD. 


TERMS. 

The  work  will  form  Three  large  Super  Royal  Octavo  Volumes, 
containing  in  all  eighteen  hundred  pages,  or  about  six  hundred  pages 
per  volume,  and  illustrated  by  over  ELEVEN  HUNDRED  WOOD  ENGRAV 
INGS  AND  MAPS. 

To  subscribers  it  will  be  delivered  well  and  handsomely  bound  in 
leather  at  Three  Dollars  and  Fifty  Cents  per  volume ;  or  for  Four 
DoUars  per  volume  it  will  be  handsomely  bound  in  extra  gilt  with 
marbled  edges  and  raised  bands ;  or  for  Three  Dollars  per  volume 
it  will  be  done  up  in  embossed  cloth. 

The  whole  work  is  now  so  far  advanced  that  no  delay  need  be 
apprehended  in  its  early  delivery. 

The  type  is  new  and  distinct — the  illustrations  have  been  engraved 
by  the  best  artists — the  paper  will  be  of  tine  quality,  and  in  every 
respect  it  will  be  handsomely  executed. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  ENGLISH  PREFACE. 

Deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  great  extent  and  difficult 
execution  of  a  complete  Geographical  work,  the  Editor,  during  nearly 
ten  years  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  upon  it,  has  used  the  utmost 
exertion  to  procure  from  every  quarter  information  and  aid.  He  has 
studiously  collected  the  moat  recent,  authentic,  and  accurate  accounts 
of  the  extent,  natural  features,  population,  productions,  industry,  po 
litical  constitution,  literature,  religion,  and  social  state  of  the  various 
regions  of  the  globe,  with  the  leading  details  as  to  their  districts  and 
cities.  The  sciences  connected  with  the  natural  history  of  the  earth 
have,  however,  attained  to  such  an  extent  and  importance,  that  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  them  can  only  he  possessed  by  individuals 
who  have  especially  devoted  themselves  to  one  particular  branch. 
The  Editor,  therefore,  considered  it  essential  to  procure  the  co-ope 
ration  of  writers  who  had  risen  to  acknowledged  eminence  in  the 
departments  of  Geology  and  Mineralogy,  Zoology,  and  Botany.  He 
considered  that  he  had  fully  succeeded,  when  Professor  Jameson 
undertook  to  delineate  the  geological  structure  of  the  globe,  and  the 
distribution  of  minerals  over  its  surface;  Mr.  Swainson  to  explain 
the  distribution  of  animals,  and  the  most  remarkable  of  those  found 
in  each  particular  region ;  and  Dr.  Hooker  to  perform  the  same  task 
in  regard  to  the  vegetable  kingdom.  Professor  Wallace  has  illus 
trated  the  relations  of  the  earth  as  a  planet,  the  trigonometrical  sur 
veys,  the  construction  of  maps,  and  other  subjects  connected  with 
mathematical  science.  These  tasks  have  been  executed  in  a  manner 
which,  it  is  hoped,  will  fully  support  the  high  reputation  of  their  re 
spective  authors.  Various  parts  relating  to  remote  countries  have 
been  revised  by  gentlemen  recently  returned  from  them.  It  is  only 
justice  to  add,  that  neither  exertion  nor  expense  has  been  spared  by 
the  Publishers,  to  enable  the  Editor  to  render  the  work  as  perfect  as 


AMERICAN  EDITION. 

The  American  edition  of  the  ENCYCLOPAEDIA  OP  GEOGRAPHY  has 
been  carefully  revised  and  corrected  throughout,  and  brought  down 
to  the  period  of  its  publication  by  such  modifications  of  the  original 
text  as  the  nature  of  the  changes  to  be  made  seemed  to  require 
Thus  new  and  more  recent  statements  of  the  commercial,  financial, 
political,  and  other  relations  of  countries  have  been  often  substituted 
for  those  given  in  the  English  edition  of  the  work,  and  the  results 
of  late  discoveries  have  been  interwoven  with  the  original  matter,  or 
have  served  to  rectify  some  antiquated  error,  the  gradual  removing 
of  which  from  our  manuals  forms  at  present  an  important  part  of 
the  task  of  the  geographical  compiler.  The  portion  of  the  work  re 
lating  to  the  United  States  has  been  written  anew,  and  fills  two 
hundred  pages  ;  that  of  the  English  edition  comprising  only  thirty- 
three  pages  and  being  extremely  meagre.  A  new  and  larger  map 
of  this  country  has  also  been  given,  and  woodcuts  have  been  added 
to  the  chapter  devoted  to  its  description. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   AT  LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


JAN  1 


9  1944 


DEC 


5 -19411 


Form  L-<>-2<><.<  .-.'.IT 


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